《Medical Consort From a Rural Family: Loved by All for Her Beauty and Confidence》 Chapter 1 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°Mother, beat her to death!¡± ¡°Mother, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and hit her!¡± ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be soft-hearted. She stole all the money for my brother¡¯s treatment. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be unconscious.¡± ¡°Yu Niang, Xue is right. Don¡¯t be stupid. Lin Ran is obviously an ingrate. Ming is her cousin and she knew he was sick, but she still stole the silver. She¡¯s trying to kill Ming.¡± ¡°Yu Niang, hit her!¡± ¡°Mother, if you can¡¯t do it, I will!¡± The clubs fell on her body like rain. Lin Ran had fainted but gradually regained consciousness. It hurt! Lin Ran moaned and suddenly opened her eyes. When she opened them, she saw a woman in pink holding a wooden stick as thick as an arm and hitting her. Damn it! Which bastard dared to hit her? Lin Ran¡¯s eyes darkened, and she rolled on the ground. She was confident that she could dodge the rod, but she was still hit. Something did not feel right! Lin Ran¡¯s heart sank. Something was wrong with her body. As a special military doctor, not only were her medical skills good, but her physique was also very strong. It could be said that she was invincible in the battalion. She ought to have dodged that attack, but she missed it slightly. ¡°How dare you dodge?¡± Just as Lin Ran was in a daze, a delicate shout could be heard, and then the stick came down again. Lin Ran could not care less. She raised her hand and grabbed the stick that was about to land on her. ¡°You?¡± Lin Xue¡¯s eyes widened in shock when she saw the rod. When she met Lin Ran¡¯s cold gaze, she was shocked. As she jumped back, the club in her hand fell to the ground. Lin Ran ignored Lin Xue and looked around. She was shocked when she realized that not only was the girl who hit her wearing ancient clothes, but even the onlookers were the same. Could it be that they were filming a television show? If they were really filming a television show, this scene was simply too realistic. It was not just the clothes these people were wearing but even the surrounding environment was very ancient. There were dilapidated thatched houses, uneven dirt roads, and some retro farming tools. Wait. Where was the director? Why was there no filming equipment? Just as Lin Ran slumped into deep thought, Lin Xue came back to her senses. She pointed at Lin Ran¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°Lin Ran, you ingrate! You thief! My older brother dotes on you so much, but you stole his treatment money. Your conscience must have been eaten by a dog.¡± Lin Ran still did not understand the situation, but she didn¡¯t want to be accused of being a thief. For this, she frowned, glanced at Lin Xue, and said coldly, ¡°I didn¡¯t steal the silver.¡± ¡°Why are you still denying it? You were the only one at home previously. If you didn¡¯t steal the money, would it have grown legs and flown away?¡± ¡°I said I didn¡¯t steal it. Believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you.¡± Lin Ran was a little angry. She could not even finish spending the money she earned herself. It made no sense for her to be a thief, let alone steal the silver. Hang on. Did she mention silver? Wasn¡¯t silver only used in ancient times? Thinking of this, Lin Ran could not help but ask Lin Xue, ¡°Which production team are you from?¡± ¡°What production team? Lin Ran, let me tell you, stop playing dumb here. Tell me, where did you hide the stolen silver?¡± After being accused of stealing money, again and again, Lin Ran could not hold back her temper. She stood up and looked at Lin Xue. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Chapter 2 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lin Xue was so angry that her face turned red. She pointed at Lin Ran¡¯s nose and trembled. ¡°Lin Ran, you¡­ How dare you say that I¡¯m crazy? I¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it? I already said that I didn¡¯t steal the silver, but you insist on pinning the blame on me. If you ask me, maybe you stole the silver yourself, right?¡± Lin Ran had just said it casually, but seeing Lin Xue¡¯s reaction, she could not help but narrow her eyes . Lin Ran had just said it casually, but seeing Lin Xue¡¯s reaction, she could not help but narrow her eyes guiltily. This woman¡¯s reaction was very strange. No matter how Lin Ran looked at it, she felt guilty. Perhaps she had really guessed correctly that the silver was taken by this woman, but the woman had pushed the blame on herself. If that was the case, then do not blame her for skinning her alive. Lin Ran did not like being pushed around. If anyone dared to frame her, they would have to suffer her revenge. ¡°Nonsense?¡± Lin Ran smiled and looked very gentle. However, those who were familiar with Lin Ran would know that the gentler she smiled, the more ruthless she was. ¡°Are you feeling guilty?¡± Lin Ran said with certainty. She slowly stood up and walked around Lin Xue. Her smile became brighter. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Lin Xue felt more and more uneasy. ¡°I¡¯m laughing at you for thinking you can get away with this,¡± Lin Ran said as she pointed at the woman¡¯s chest. It was beating very quickly and it was a sign of nervousness. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about. You stole the money. Don¡¯t try to blame it on me.¡± Lin Xue forced herself to calm down. ¡°I should be the one saying that.¡± Lin Ran still had a smile on her face. She slowly turned to look at the villagers watching the commotion. Finally, her gaze landed on a woman resembling Lin Xue. When Yu Niang saw Lin Ran looking at her, she immediately said, ¡°Ran, tell me where the silver is. I can let bygones be bygones.¡± ¡°I told you, I didn¡¯t steal the silver.¡± ¡°Mother, don¡¯t believe her. She¡¯s lying.¡± ¡°What do you mean by lying?¡± Lin Ran turned around and looked at Lin Xue coldly. She reached out and pinched her neck. At first, Lin Ran planned to reason with these people, but they obviously did not believe her. In that case, she might as well use violence. If the tiger did not show its might, they would think that she was a vulnerable cat. Especially the woman in front of her. The woman was too annoying and the noise was giving Lin Ran a headache. ¡°You¡­ What are you trying to do?¡± Lin Xue was scared out of her wits, and her face was pale. Yu Niang was also frightened when she saw her daughter being strangled by Lin Ran. When she came back to her senses, she could not help but take a few steps forward and look at Lin Ran with disappointment. ¡°Ran, why are you doing this? Let go of Xue.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The moment I find out where the silver is hidden, I¡¯ll let her go,¡± Lin Ran replied calmly. She turned to look at Lin Xue and asked, ¡°Tell me, where is the silver?¡± ¡°What silver? I don¡¯t know.¡± Lin Xue refused to admit it. She did not dare to admit it because she knew that once she admitted it, her reputation would be ruined. It was wrong for her to steal the money for her older brother¡¯s doctor¡¯s fees. Since she had smeared the crime on Lin Ran, it made things even worse. The villagers¡¯ saliva alone could drown her. ¡°Is that so? I gave you a chance to own up, but you refuse to do it. In that case, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony,¡± Lin Ran said as she tightened her grip. Lin Xue had difficulty breathing and knew she was in big trouble. It felt like she was going to die. Chapter 3 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations In the face of death, reputation meant nothing. After figuring it out, she opened her mouth desperately. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll come clean!¡± As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Ran chuckled. Yu Niang and the others widened their eyes in disbelief. Lin Xue felt the strange gazes from the villagers, but she could not care less because she did not want to die yet. When Lin Ran let go of her hand slightly and Lin Xue could finally breathe, she coughed a few times. After coughing, Lin Xue regretted it and did not speak for a long time. She had not learned her lesson yet. Lin Ran sneered and did not say anything. She simply tightened her grip in the air. Lin Xue got scared and shouted, ¡°No, don¡¯t. I¡¯ll talk. I¡¯ll talk, okay?¡± ¡°Speak up. Everyone is waiting.¡± Lin Ran looked at Lin Xue indifferently. Her gaze was like a knife as if she wanted to kill her if Lin Xue dared to lie. It was better to live than to die. Lin Xue was very afraid of death. Even though she felt very aggrieved, she still said, ¡°I-I hid the silver in my pillow.¡± ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go and get the money!¡± Lin Ran dragged Lin Xue into her room. The onlookers saw what the two sisters were doing and followed them in. They happened to see Lin Xue taking out silver from her pillow. Yu Niang and the others were stunned when they saw the silver in Lin Xue¡¯s hand. They looked at her with complicated gazes. Lin Xue usually looked gentle and kind. No one expected her to pull this off. In order to sabotage her cousin, Lin Ran, she even ignored her older brother¡¯s illness. At this moment, Lin Xue¡¯s sweet and kind image in the villagers¡¯ hearts collapsed and shattered into pieces. ¡°I¡¯m glad the money was recovered. Yu Niang, take the silver and quickly go find a doctor for Lin Ming. The rest can wait,¡± a villager kindly reminded. Previously, Lin Ming was already unconscious. If they did not find a doctor, they might not be able to save him. Yu Niang also came back to her senses. She looked at Lin Xue sadly and ran out with the silver. ¡°Yu Niang, wait. It¡¯s faster to go by cart.¡± A man from the main family chased after her. The onlookers gradually dispersed, but before they left, everyone glanced at Lin Xue, making her want to find a hole to hide in. When everyone left and only Lin Xue and Lin Ran were left in the courtyard, Lin Xue said resentfully, ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re nuts!¡± Lin Ran cursed and turned to walk into the house. She had not forgotten that there was another patient in the house. She was a doctor, and her occupational instinct had kicked in again. After the little episode, she more or less understood the current situation. This was not a film set for a television show. She had probably experienced time travel and transmigrated to ancient times. Since she was here, she could only take things a step at a time. Lin Ran did not get hung up over it. She had already cleared herself of the theft accusations. She had to check on the patient first. If she had the answer, she would treat him. Otherwise, she had to find some other way to do it. She had a feeling that the patient in the room was very important to her. ¡°Lin Ran, why did you enter my older brother¡¯s room?¡± Lin Xue chased after her and grabbed her sleeve. ¡°Let go!¡± Lin Ran turned around and looked at Lin Xue coldly. Her gaze was very sharp. Coupled with the fact that Lin Ran was in a bad mood, Lin Xue could not help but let go. For some reason, Lin Ran scared her. Lin Xue felt that if she did not let go, she might die in the next second. Chapter 4 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lin Ran was a law-abiding citizen who grew up in modern society. She was also a soldier, so she naturally would not take someone¡¯s life casually. Lin Xue was too annoying, so she had to scare her. Lin Ran strode into the room without looking at Lin Xue. As soon as she entered, she saw a young man of about fifteen or sixteen lying on the bed, having a high fever. His face was already red from the fever, and his breathing was heavy. He sounded a little scary. Lin Ran stepped forward and took the patient¡¯s pulse. The patient¡¯s condition was critical and his fever had to go down immediately. She quickly scanned the entire house. Soon, she found a jar of wine in the corner of the house. Got it! ¡°Lin Ran, that¡¯s wine. What are you doing?¡± The annoying voice entered Lin Ran¡¯s ears again, making her a little angry. Lin Xue was standing at the room door. Lin Ran glanced at Lin Xue coldly and said, ¡°Get lost!¡± Lin Ran wasted no time on Lin Xue. She tore a sheet and put it in the wine. ¡°Lin Ran, stop!¡± Lin Xue rushed into the room and grabbed Lin Ran¡¯s hand to stop her. ¡°Let go!¡± Lin Ran glanced at Lin Xue coldly and swung her hand. Lin Xue did not want to let go at first, but when she met Lin Ran¡¯s gaze, she was terrified and let go of her hand. ¡°Get out!¡± Lin Xue shrank her neck in fear and took a few steps back. She wanted to leave, but she did not want to. She had to see what Lin Ran wanted to do. Before long, she found out what Lin Ran wanted to do. She blushed and scolded Lin Ran, ¡°Lin Ran, you¡¯re shameless. He¡¯s your cousin. How could you take off his clothes?¡± Lin Ran suddenly turned around and glared at Lin Xue. She knew that in ancient times, men and women were not allowed to touch each other. When they reached seven years old, they were not permitted to stay in the same room alone. However, she was a doctor. She could not leave the boy in the lurch. Besides, Lin Xue also said that the patient in front of her was her cousin. She was his cousin, so there was nothing wrong with giving him treatment. She clearly had the ability to save people. She could not leave her cousin in the lurch for the sake of socially accepted norms. She did not care about Lin Xue¡¯s words at all and continued working nonstop. She quickly took off the patient¡¯s clothes and took another piece of cloth. She stained it with strong wine and wiped the young man¡¯s body. This was what everyone saw when they entered. ¡°What the?¡± The villagers were stunned. They watched this scene for a long time. Seeing that everyone was in a daze, Lin Xue immediately screamed, ¡°Lin Ran, what are you doing? How can you take off his clothes? My older brother is sick. If anything happens to him, I won¡¯t let you off!¡± Only then did the villagers come back to their senses and look at Lin Ran strangely. Previously, they believed Lin Xue when she accused Lin Ran of stealing money. Later, they realized that they had misunderstood Lin Ran, and everyone felt a little guilty. When they saw Lin Ran taking off Lin Ming¡¯s clothes and wiping his body, they did not know what to say. Yes, the two of them were cousins, but there was a difference between men and women. It was wrong for Lin Ran to take off Lin Ming¡¯s clothes and wipe his body. ¡°That¡¯s immoral!¡± said someone. Everyone immediately condemned Lin Ran. ¡°Lin Ran, how can you do this? Lin Ming is your cousin. How are you going to get married in the future? Who will marry you?¡± ¡°Lin Ran, stop it. Stop cleaning him.¡± Chapter 5 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Seeing that the villagers had spoken, Lin Xue also shouted, ¡°Lin Ran, don¡¯t you have any shame? How can you take off your cousin¡¯s clothes? Are you really just wiping his body? What are you trying to do? Even if you¡¯re shameless, you should not have implicated my family.¡± ¡°Shut up, all of you! Can¡¯t you see how bad his fever is? Do you want him to burn to death, or do you want him to become a retard?¡± ¡°I thought villagers are simple and honest people, but I see that all of you are very black-hearted. I¡¯m his cousin, so I can¡¯t bear to see him burn to death. Is there something wrong with your noses? Can¡¯t you smell the wine?¡± At this moment, she did not realize that the unconscious person had slowly opened his eyes. ¡°Water!¡± Lin Ming shouted. His voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, but Lin Ran still heard it immediately. She said in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± ¡°Is Ming awake?¡± The villagers standing at the door were surprised to hear Lin Ran¡¯s words. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡± Someone said and the auntie quickly walked in. The person behind followed her into the room and saw Lin Ming lying on the bed with his eyes open. When the auntie saw that Lin Ming was really awake, she immediately became happy. ¡°Ming, you¡¯re awake! That¡¯s great.¡± Lin Ran was pouring water for Lin Ming. When she saw a few people coming in, she was a little annoyed. She said, ¡°Excuse me, he wants water.¡± With her shout, the people around the bed immediately moved aside. Lin Ran gave Lin Ming water. After he finished drinking, she asked, ¡°Do you want more water?¡± Lin Ming shook his head and looked at Lin Ran without blinking. Although he was unconscious just now, he could still sense his surroundings a little. He knew that Lin Ran had wiped his body to cool him down, so he was very uneasy. Lin Ran met his complicated gaze and asked, ¡°How do you feel? Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Much better. Thank you, Ran.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± After saying this, neither of them spoke again. Lin Ran did not know what to say, but Lin Ming felt a little uncomfortable because of what Lin Ran had just done for him. Fortunately, this atmosphere did not last long. Footsteps sounded at the door. ¡°Excuse me, excuse me. The doctor is here,¡± someone shouted. The crowd at the door made way for Yu Niang and an old doctor with a white beard walked into the room with her. When she saw many people surrounding the door just now, Yu Niang was still a little worried that something had happened to her son. Now that she saw that her son had woken up, she was immediately overjoyed. ¡°Ming, have you regained consciousness?¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Lin Ming shouted hoarsely and wanted to sit up. Yu Niang quickly walked up in front of him and pressed him down. She said, ¡°Ming, don¡¯t move. Lie down properly. I have brought a doctor. He will treat you immediately.¡± Lin Ming was indeed weak and could not sit up. Hearing his mother¡¯s words, he could only nod. When Lin Ran saw the doctor, she did not stay in the house any longer. Instead, she quietly followed the villagers out of the room. However, as soon as she walked out, she met Lin Xue¡¯s jealous eyes. ¡°Lin Ran, you¡¯re shameless!¡± Lin Ran was about to leave, but she stopped and turned to look at Lin Xue coldly. ¡°Say that again if you dare.¡± Lin Xue was shocked by Lin Ran¡¯s gaze and immediately cowered. She shrank her neck and hid behind an aunt. Chapter 6 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Seeing how cowardly Lin Xue was, Lin Ran sneered and turned to leave the courtyard. At this moment, she still did not understand the situation. She had to find a place to think. After leaving the courtyard, Lin Ran looked around and walked straight to the mountain behind the village. There were people coming and going in the village, and she was not familiar with it. It was safer to go to the mountain. Lin Ran walked up the mountain, found a big tree, and climbed up. She sat quietly on the tree fork and sorted out her thoughts. Obviously, this was not a television set of some drama. Instead, she had just experienced transmigration. She had transmigrated into the body of an ancient girl with the same name, Lin Ran. Lin Ran searched the host¡¯s memories and slowly understood what was going on. The host¡¯s name was also Lin Ran. She was the only daughter of Lin Yuan¡¯s older brother, a villager in Shanglin Village. Since her parents had died and she was an orphan, she lived in her uncle¡¯s house. The patient from before was Lin Yuan¡¯s son, Lin Ming. Lin Xue was Lin Yuan¡¯s daughter. Her older brother usually treated Lin Ran better, so she felt very jealous. She took advantage of her older brother¡¯s illness to steal money to frame Lin Ran and get rid of her. After sorting out what had happened, Lin Ran was speechless. She felt that the host¡¯s ability to withstand pressure was too poor. She died when Lin Xue framed her without even trying to avenge herself. She was too stupid. She saw through Lin Xue¡¯s plots after she transmigrated. Considering Lin Xue¡¯s personality, it was impossible for her to forgive Lin Ran, and was probably plotting again. Lin Ran was not afraid at all. In her previous life, she often went on missions and had seen all kinds of schemes. Lin Xue¡¯s methods were far inferior to those people. Suddenly, a sound of pursuit entered Lin Ran¡¯s ears, making her stop in her tracks. She quickly chose a tree with dense leaves to hide in. Lin Ran had just hidden when footsteps approached. Immediately after, a few men in black chased after a man in brocade and ran toward the tree where she was hiding. The man was about to run past the tree and lead his enemies away, but he slipped and fell. He promptly fell to the ground and passed out. It seemed that she could not stay out of it. The assassins were overjoyed to see their target fall. They ran to the tree and were about to see if their target was dead when a handful of leaves suddenly scattered from the tree and shot at their necks. After removing the threat, Lin Ran jumped down from the tree. She glanced at the men in black lying on the ground. When she confirmed the men in black were all dead, she walked toward the unconscious man. Lin Ran took his pulse, and could not help shaking her head. This person was really unlucky. Not only was he seriously injured, but he was also poisoned. It would be fine if he did not use force. As long as he used force, the poison would spread. No wonder he fell and passed out. Never mind. A human life was of utmost importance, so she decided to magnanimously save his life. Besides, he was quite good-looking. As someone who cared about looks, she could not bear to let him die. With this thought in mind, Lin Ran activated the memories in her mind and remembered that there was a cave nearby that could be used to hide the person in front of her. Before that, she had to deal with these men in black. Lin Ran threw the men in black into a deep ravine using her knowledge of the terrain. Before throwing them in, she did not forget to rob them and plundered the silver and valuables from the men in black. Chapter 7 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Money sometimes ended up undoing heroes. She had just arrived in ancient times and was unfamiliar with the place. Her pockets were empty. Without money on hand, she felt insecure. Although these men in black did not have much silver on them and it was just roughly 30 taels, it was already very good for Lin Ran. After stuffing the silver into her pocket, Lin Ran dragged the unlucky guy to a nearby cave. She placed him in the cave before she went to find some herbs to treat his wound. While treating his wound, Sima Yunshen woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he reached out to grab Lin Ran¡¯s neck and said, ¡°You want to die!¡± Fortunately, Lin Ran reacted quickly and dodged in time. Otherwise, she would have died thanks to Sima Yunshen. Lin Ran was unhappy that she was almost strangled to death. She stood up and looked at Sima Yunshen coldly. ¡°I saved you out of kindness, but you want to kill me. In that case, I won¡¯t care about you anymore. You can stay here and fend for yourself.¡± With that, Lin Ran left the cave angrily and prepared to go home. Seeing that Lin Ran was about to leave, Sima Yunshen panicked and shouted, ¡°Miss, please wait!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Lin Ran stopped and looked at Sima Yunshen warily. ¡°Thank you for saving my life, Miss. I don¡¯t know how to repay you. In the future¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Lin Ran immediately thought of the scenes she had seen on television dramas previously where people would repay debts by marrying female leads. She interrupted, ¡°Stop. I don¡¯t need your repayment. I was just trying to do a good deed.¡± With that, Lin Ran left quickly, as if a wolf was chasing her. When Sima Yunshen saw Lin Ran leave quickly, he was stunned for a long time. He thought to himself and wondered if he had said something wrong earlier. Sima Yunshen could not wrap his mind around it, but he did not think too much about it. Since the girl did not want him to mention repayment for her kindness, then he would drop it. His body was not in good condition now, so he should rest here for a few days first. Speaking of which, he was both unlucky and lucky. The unlucky thing was that he was targeted by his enemies the moment he entered the border and was chased all the way by assassins. The guards around him were eventually either dead or injured and he was the only one left. In the end, he fell on a rock and almost died, but he was fortunately saved. At the thought of the little girl who had saved him, Sima Yunshen¡¯s eyes softened up, making him feel warm. After Lin Ran left the cave, she saw that it was getting late and quickly ran towards the village. However, as soon as she entered the village, she saw a group of people walking toward her. The leader was Lin Xue. As soon as she saw Lin Xue, Lin Ran knew that something bad was going to happen. Sure enough, when Lin Xue saw her, she immediately said, ¡°Quick. Apprehend Lin Ran.¡± Lin Ran frowned and looked at the people walking towards her. She asked coldly, ¡°Lin Xue, what are you doing this time? Did you accuse me again?¡± ¡°Hmph. Everyone has seen what you¡¯ve done. Do you still need any accusations from me? Let me tell you. The village chief knows about the shameless things you did. He thinks that you¡¯ve ruined the culture and reputation of the village and wants to capture you and drown you.¡± ¡°Since when did I ruin the village¡¯s reputation? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡± Lin Ran was a little angry. She glanced coldly at the clansmen who followed Lin Xue and asked, ¡°Can anyone tell me how I ruined the village¡¯s reputation?¡± Chapter 8 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°Do you still want to deny it? Didn¡¯t you take off my older brother¡¯s clothes before?¡± Lin Xue said proudly. Lin Ran might be trying to save Lin Ming, but people who did not know better would definitely think that Lin Ran was a bad, shameless woman. Even though he was her cousin, she had taken off her cousin¡¯s clothes and refused to let him off. ¡°A wise man sees wisdom, and a lecher sees lust. I clearly had no choice but to save my cousin. Yet you made me sound despicable. Since you keep seeing things this way and bringing this up, you must be despicable at heart, right?¡± ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m not as shameless as you.¡± Lin Xue blushed and said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s useless for you to have a glib tongue now. It¡¯s just a matter of time before you get drowned.¡± With that, she looked at the clansmen who were indifferent to Lin Ran¡¯s words and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you believe her? She¡¯s not a doctor. How can she save people?¡± The clansmen felt that Lin Xue¡¯s words made sense. Coupled with the fact that they were sent by the chief, they had no choice but to go forward and say to Lin Ran, ¡°Lin Ran, we don¡¯t want to be rough. Why don¡¯t you just surrender and come peacefully?¡± Lin Ran knew that it was useless to talk to these people, so she did not make things difficult for them and followed them to the ancestral hall. In the ancestral hall, the patriarch and the elders were already waiting. When they saw their clansmen bring Lin Ran back, their expressions did not look good. ¡°Lin Ran, kneel!¡± The patriarch glanced at Lin Ran and shouted. Lin Ran stood still and looked up at the patriarch. She asked, ¡°May I ask what I have done?¡± ¡°How dare you continue denying it?¡± The patriarch was very angry at Lin Ran¡¯s arrogance. He slammed the table beside him, making the teacups on the table jump. ¡°I¡¯m not denying anything. I really don¡¯t know what I have done. Please tell me.¡± The patriarch hated it when people disobeyed him. Seeing Lin Ran¡¯s unconvinced expression, he was furious and ordered, ¡°Men, tie her up and drown her!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± Lin Ran looked at the patriarch coldly and said, ¡°Even if the government judges a case, they will give the criminal a chance to speak. As the patriarch of the family, you actually listened to one-sided accusations and believed them. Are you above the laws and the county magistrate?¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± The patriarch pointed at Lin Ran, speechless with anger. As the patriarch, no one had ever dared to challenge his authority. However, Lin Ran actually said in front of everyone that he was biased. He would have trouble leading the people in the future if the villagers felt he had accepted one-sided accusations against her. Once his reputation was ruined, his clansmen would not listen to him in the future. ¡°Am I wrong? According to your argument, I was wrong to save the boy. Should I have watched my cousin die from illness?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± The patriarch was almost angered to death by Lin Ran. His eyes were wide open, and he was breathing rapidly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? If it were you, would you be able to watch your family die? Anyway, I can¡¯t do it.¡± Hearing Lin Ran¡¯s words, everyone felt that it made sense. Those who originally thought that Lin Ran had ruined the village¡¯s reputation and wanted to drown her turned around and begged the patriarch to forgive her. Seeing that everyone was pleading for Lin Ran and that even the elders were showing signs of forgiving Lin Ran, Lin Xue panicked. ¡°This is not true. Don¡¯t listen to her. I saw it with my own eyes. She only used wine to wipe my older brother¡¯s body. What kind of treatment is that? I think she¡¯s just taking advantage of my older brother.¡± ¡°Think about it. Wine is intended for consumption. How can it be used for treatment? I think Lin Ran was just pretending to save him, but in reality, she¡¯s just taking advantage of him.¡± Chapter 9 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations The people on Lin Ran¡¯s side wavered again after Lin Xue finished speaking Seeing everyone¡¯s expressions, Lin Xue was a little proud. Just as she was about to strike Lin Ran while she was down, she heard a roar, ¡°Who said alcohol can¡¯t save people?¡± Accompanied by the voice, a few people walked in from outside the ancestral hall. They were the doctor Yu Niang had invited to the village, Yu Niang, and the sick Lin Ming. Lin Xue¡¯s face turned dark when she saw the three of them, but she quickly composed herself and ran to Yu Niang. She complained, ¡°Mother, why did you bring my older brother here? He is still sick. How could you let him go out?¡± Yu Niang did not say anything, but Lin Ming glared at Lin Xue unhappily and said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t come over, are you going to try and kill Ran?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this for you and to protect our village¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Lin Ming roared angrily. He had always doted on his sister, but he did not expect that his indulgence would make her such an ingrate. Not only was she vicious, but she even ignored his life to deal with Lin Ran. If Lin Ran had not saved him, he might have died. ¡°Mother, look at how fierce he is!¡± Lin Xue complained to Yu Niang. Yu Niang looked at her daughter with mixed feelings. The doctor had just said that it was fortunate that her son¡¯s fever had subsided. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. After asking, she found out that Lin Ran had used alcohol to bring down his fever. Now, Lin Xue wanted to use this matter to attack Lin Ran and even take her life. She did not know what to say for a moment. After all, she had given birth to her daughter herself and doted on her for so many years, so she looked at her son and said, ¡°She¡¯s your sister. Don¡¯t be so harsh on her.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Lin Ming was a little annoyed. His mother was being so unreasonable. However, now was not the time to settle this and he did not have the energy to argue with his sister. Instead, he walked up to the patriarch and said, ¡°I specially came to thank Ran. It¡¯s all thanks to Ran that I got saved. If she hadn¡¯t wiped my body with wine to dissipate the heat, my fever would have killed me.¡± ¡°Can that wine really reduce the fever?¡± Someone asked in disbelief. The doctor glanced at the person who asked the question and said, ¡°Why not? It¡¯s just that very few people know about it and don¡¯t know how to use it.¡± Everyone believed the doctor¡¯s words because this doctor¡¯s medical skills were good. He was very famous in town and could treat lots of unusual illnesses that other doctors could not treat. After the doctor finished speaking, Lin Ming said to the patriarch, ¡°It¡¯s not wrong for Ran to treat someone. Please let her go on account that she has saved me.¡± When Lin Xue heard this, she said loudly again, ¡°No, she ruined the reputation of the village. How can we let her off? Don¡¯t listen to my brother¡¯s nonsense. I suspect they are colluding in order to prevent Lin Ran from getting drowned. She is an immoral woman and has taken off a man¡¯s clothes in public, so she has to be drowned. If you let this slide, other people in the village might follow in her example.¡± Lin Xue made up her mind. She had to get Lin Ran drowned today. Not only was Lin Ran good-looking, but she was also better than her in every aspect. She was clearly just her cousin, but her parents and brother doted on her even more. Once Lin Ran was dead, her parents¡¯ and brother¡¯s love would belong to her alone. Chapter 10 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lin Ming was really angry. He cast a cold threatening look at Lin Ran. For her own sake, Lin Xue could not care less. The village chief knew nothing about the money she stole to accuse Lin Ran of theft yet. She had to take out Lin Ran once and for all before people found out. It would be best if Lin Ran died. In the future, even if people brought it up, she could say that Lin Ran forced her to do it. She ignored Lin Ming¡¯s warning and anger and said again, ¡°Lin Ran is just a little girl who has only gone to town a handful of times. How could she know she could use strong alcohol to bring down the fever? I bet even you did not know about such treatments either, right?¡± When the clan leader heard this, he felt that Lin Xue was right. He was the clan leader and even he knew nothing about such treatment. It made no sense for a young lass like her to know about it. In addition, considering Lin Ran¡¯s background, it was more likely that she was trying to take advantage of Lin Ming. At the thought of this, he nodded and said, ¡°Xue is right. We can¡¯t let Lin Ran do this. She must be drowned once and for all. Otherwise, she might destroy the family¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Lin Ming was anxious and could not help but shout. Even the doctor could not stand it anymore and wanted to say something. However, when he thought about how this was someone else¡¯s family matter, he shut his mouth. When Lin Ran heard the chief¡¯s words, she turned to look at the smug Lin Xue. She said, ¡°I have saved a life, but I have to be drowned. Then what about those who have done evil? Should we cut them into pieces?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lin Xue looked uneasy. Lin Ran ignored her and looked at the village chief, waiting for him to answer. The clan leader did not think too much about it and said directly, ¡°Anyone who violates the clan rules must be punished.¡± ¡°I see. Then is the murder of one¡¯s biological brother considered a violation of clan rules?¡± As soon as she said this, many people looked at Lin Xue. Many people knew that she had stolen money to frame Lin Ran. On the surface, it sounded like a fight between two young girls, but it was still a matter of life and death for Lin Ming. It was no exaggeration to say that Lin Xue¡¯s actions would kill her own brother. Lin Xue was extremely anxious when she heard Lin Ran¡¯s words. She said, ¡°Lin Ran, that¡¯s nonsense. I did nothing of the sort. He¡¯s my brother. How could I harm him?¡± ¡°The deed was done, there¡¯s no point arguing about it. When you took the silver, you might have had no intentions of harming my cousin, but the moment you did, it¡¯d ultimately lead to his death. If I hadn¡¯t used wine to reduce his fever, even if a doctor came over to treat him, my cousin couldn¡¯t have survived.¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask the doctor. Or you can ask the county magistrate and see what he says, right?¡± At the mention of the county magistrate, the patriarch immediately looked at her seriously and asked, ¡°What happened? Tell me everything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very simple. She stole the money for her brother¡¯s treatment and almost killed him. If not for me, my cousin would have died. This is murder. I want to ask the patriarch if she violated the clan¡¯s rules and should be punished. Of course, if the patriarch isn¡¯t sure, I can ask the county magistrate and see what he says.¡± ¡°Lin Xue, what do you have to say?¡± The clan leader looked at Lin Xue and thought about how he almost stood up for Lin Xue just now. He was angry and hated himself for it. He immediately ordered, ¡°Men, Lin Xue stole money and almost killed her older brother. She has violated the clan rules and will be severely punished with 30 strokes.¡± Chapter 11 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°No!¡± ¡°You¡¯re being biased! Why are you punishing me alone? Lin Ran is in the wrong too. She even ruined the reputation of her clansmen. Why didn¡¯t you punish her?¡± Lin Xue¡¯s clamor gave the chief a headache. In his opinion, Lin Ran was not a good person either, so he looked at her coldly and said, ¡°Lin Ran disregarded socially accepted boundaries and took off her cousin¡¯s clothes without permission, causing a bad influence. She will be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days. During these three days, no one is allowed to visit her or bring her food. If anyone disobeys, they will be given the same punishment as Lin Ran.¡± Hearing the chief¡¯s words, Lin Xue was happy. However, this happiness did not last for more than two seconds before someone pulled her to be beaten. Compared to Lin Ran kneeling in the ancestral hall, Lin Xue felt that she had suffered a loss and felt indignant. The chief caught her opening her mouth and promptly instructed, ¡°Cover her mouth and pull her down to beat her up.¡± The situation had developed too quickly, causing Yu Niang to be stunned. When she came back to her senses, not only would her daughter be beaten, but her niece would also be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall. She immediately panicked and rushed to the patriarch. She knelt heavily in front of him and said, ¡°Please spare Xue and Ran. It¡¯s all my fault. As their mother and aunt, I didn¡¯t teach them well. If you have to punish someone, you can punish me instead.¡± The chief looked at Yu Niang, who was kneeling in front of him and was a little angry. He ordered the person beside him coldly, ¡°Pull her aside.¡± ¡°Chief, Chief, I beg you!¡± Yu Niang was still pleading. The chief frowned impatiently. Just as he was about to get someone to gag her, Lin Ming said, ¡°Mother, cut it out. My little sister did something wrong and deserves it.¡± ¡°Ming, how could you?¡± Yu Niang widened her eyes and looked at her son. She could not believe the words that had come from his mouth. Her son usually doted on Xue very much. Every time he came back from school, he would bring her a gift. Sometimes, it was a hairpin, sometimes it was a snack. Everyone in the village was envious of the close relationship between the siblings and envied her for having a good pair of children. Today, everything had unexpectedly gone the wrong way. First, her daughter stole the silver intended for her son¡¯s treatment. Now, her son abandoned his sister and let her be punished. She had trouble accepting this, so she fainted. When Lin Ming saw that his mother had fainted, he shouted worriedly at the doctor beside him, ¡°Doctor Wu, my mother has fainted. Please take a look at her.¡± Doctor Wu should have left long ago, but Lin Ming was his patient. He was worried about Lin Ming and was afraid that something would happen to him if he left, so he could only stay. However, this was a family matter and he was afraid that he would be implicated, so he stood far away from the crowd. When he heard Lin Ming call him, he walked over with the medical kit. After taking Yu Niang¡¯s pulse, he took out a silver needle and pricked her. Yu Niang slowly woke up. When she saw herself lying on the ground and heard the sound of the plank hitting, she grabbed Lin Ming¡¯s hand forcefully and said, ¡°Ming, save your sister and beg the chief to let her off this time, okay?¡± Lin Ming knew that his mother loved his little sister, and he also knew her personality. She would not stand by and let his little sister get punished. If he did not agree to help, she would definitely do something worse. He nodded and said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be agitated. I¡¯ll go plead with the clan leader now.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Hurry up!¡± Lin Ming stood up and walked towards the clan leader. Even if his mother did not say anything, he would not just watch his sister get punished. Chapter 12 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations The reason Lin Ming did not plead for mercy right at the start was that he wanted his sister to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, he did not know what she would do in the future. Lin Ming was a student and was about to take the Elementary Scholar Examination, so he still had some say in the village. Since he had pleaded with the clan leader, the clan leader might reconsider. Moreover, he was punishing Lin Xue for what she had done to Lin Ming. Lin Ming was a knowledgeable young man and he was also a student. He might become an elementary scholar, a high scholar, or even a scholar in the future. He was such a promising young man, but Lin Xue nearly ruined him. Naturally, he was unhappy, so she was punished more severely. Now that Lin Ming was pleading for mercy, he went with the flow and made people stop. Even so, Lin Xue¡¯s body had been hit more than ten times, and was seriously injured. Lin Xue fainted when she saw her brother pleading for her. Yu Niang was the first to pounce on her daughter. When she saw the blood seeping out of her daughter¡¯s clothes, her heart ached. She begged a few women to help her bring her daughter home and let Doctor Wu treat her daughter¡¯s injuries. When she was done, she remembered that Lin Ran was still kneeling in the ancestral hall. ¡°Ming, Ran is still in the ancestral hall. What should we do?¡± ¡°There must be someone watching the ancestral hall now. I¡¯ll go check tonight and send some food to Ran.¡± Lin Ming was already sick. Although his fever had subsided, he was still very weak. Previously, he had stood in front of the ancestral hall using sheer willpower. At this moment, he could barely hold on. How could he have the strength to go to the ancestral hall? If he let his mother go, he would be worried. In addition, his mother was timid and would probably be discovered before she reached Lin Ran. After thinking about it, he could only go at night. When night fell, he would be able to rest. In the ancestral hall, Lin Ran knelt in front of the Lin family¡¯s ancestral tablet with her eyes closed. She had just transmigrated here and so many things had happened. Not only was she physically tired, but she was also mentally exhausted. She knelt down and took some time to rest. Lin Ran planned to sneak out to take a look after she had enough rest. She was not the original owner of the body, so she would not foolishly kneel in the ancestral hall here. With her ability, even if she did not rely on her uncle and aunt¡¯s family, she could still support herself. Moreover, she knew medicine. Even if she lived alone, she was confident she could make a decent living and reach the same quality of life as her uncle and aunt. In addition, her parents had left her a house, so she did not have to worry about a place to live. The only bad thing was that it was not safe for a girl to live alone. This was not difficult for her. She just needed to put something on the wall and spend some effort to set up a few mechanisms. Lin Ran was so tired that she fell asleep thinking about it. When she opened her eyes again, she was shocked. Didn¡¯t I transmigrate to ancient times? Why did I go back? What was I doing in the family¡¯s ancestral clinic in modern times? Wait. Why was there no one in the clinic? ¡°Grandpa!¡± Lin Ran shouted. Usually, her grandfather should still be at the clinic at this time, and there should be many patients. What was going on today? Why were there no patients? Could it be that something had happened to Grandpa too? The more she thought about it, the more flustered Lin Ran became. As she shouted for her grandfather, she looked around, trying to find someone to ask about the situation. When she searched the entire clinic, she still could not find anyone. The entire clinic was terrifyingly quiet. There was no movement at all, except for herself. Suddenly, there was a commotion, making Lin Ran happy. Just as she was about to speak, she realized that she was still kneeling in the ancestral hall. The commotion was caused by the guard who had come back to the ancestral hall. What the? Chapter 13 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Was she dreaming? As Lin Ran thought about this, she straightened her back. When the guard saw that Lin Ran was kneeling properly, he went out without a word. As soon as he left, the door of the ancestral hall closed again. Lin Ran thought of the dream and closed her eyes again. However, something strange happened. When she closed her eyes, she returned to the clinic. Could it be that this was a metaphysical space? Thinking of this, Lin Ran commanded to herself, ¡°Exit!¡± In the blink of an eye, she found that she had returned to the ancestral hall. This time, she was basically certain that she had a cheat code like other transmigrators. It was the Lin Medical Hall belonging to her family. It should be called the metaphysical medical hall now. The medical hall was about 300 square meters. There was not only Chinese medicine, but also Western medicine. To be precise, it was more appropriate to call it a clinic. Since it was passed down from her ancestors, the name had never been changed. With the advancement of the times, the medical hall was no longer a simple Chinese medical hall. Instead, it was integrated with lots of Western equipment, such as injections and IV drips. When she was in university, she specially majored in Western medicine so that she could combine Chinese and Western medicine. After graduating, she was directly chosen to join the army and became a military doctor. With her foundation in Chinese medicine and her good Western medicine skills, she was able to treat patients with ease. Hardly any of her patients had died before. A lot of medicine could be found in the metaphysical medical hall, but she did not know if she could take them out. Perhaps she ought to give it a shot. With this thought in mind, Lin Ran took a box of cold medicine and chanted, ¡°Exit!¡± When she returned to the ancestral hall again, she realized that she had something in her hand. It was the box of cold medicine she had taken from the metaphysical medical hall. Lin Ran heaved a sigh of relief. This would be much more convenient for her to treat patients in the future. She believed that with this clinic, she could go further on the path of medicine and save more people. In order to confirm that she had full access to the metaphysical medical hall, Lin Ran tried a few more times before she was completely relieved. The sudden special ability she discovered made Lin Ran forget her hunger. The sky gradually darkened, and the people guarding the ancestral hall were sleeping. At this moment, there was a knock on the window of the ancestral hall. Lin Ran immediately became vigilant and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Ran, it¡¯s me. Open the window. I¡¯ve brought you food.¡± Hearing that it was Lin Ming, Lin Ran opened the window with relief. She looked at Lin Ming and said, ¡°Why are you here so late at night? You haven¡¯t recovered yet. You can¡¯t be exposed to the wind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go back after sending you food. It won¡¯t take long. Besides, I don¡¯t have a fever anymore and I feel much better.¡± ¡°Alright, go back quickly. Don¡¯t send me food tomorrow. I can find food myself. Don¡¯t worry about me. I won¡¯t starve to death in three days.¡± Hearing Lin Ran¡¯s words, Lin Ming did not say anything else. She could do whatever she wanted, but it would not stop him. After Lin Ming handed the food to Lin Ran, he did not stay long. He chatted briefly with her and left. Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The door of the ancestral hall opened, and Lin Ran pretended to have just gotten up and walked out. Lin Ming was waiting for her outside the ancestral hall. Seeing her come out, Lin Ming quickly went up to her and asked, ¡°Ran, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Lin Ran shook her head. She was not stupid. It was impossible for her to kneel obediently for three days. Chapter 14 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Unless someone came, she would rest in the metaphysical medical hall. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re fine!¡± Lin Ming sized up Lin Ran. Seeing that she was in good spirits, he was relieved. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Lin Ran nodded and followed Lin Ming home. Lin Xue was seriously injured and was lying on the bed. When she heard Lin Ran talking to her mother in the courtyard, she was instantly unhappy and cried out in pain. When Yu Niang saw Lin Ran return, she was about to say a few words of concern. The moment she heard her daughter cry out in pain, she quickly turned around to return to her room. Lin Ming noticed his mother¡¯s actions and was afraid that Lin Ran might feel upset. He whispered to her, ¡°Ran, don¡¯t worry. My mother still cares about you.¡± Lin Ran smiled and did not say anything. She knew very well what kind of person her aunt was. Yes, she usually treated her well. It was solely because Lin Ran was sweet and diligent and knew how to behave. Now that Lin Xue was beaten up because of Lin Ran, it was impossible to say that Yu Niang did not have any resentment in her heart. People were biased. Even if Lin Ran was Yu Niang¡¯s biological daughter, it was impossible for Yu Niang to be fair. Moreover, Lin Ran was only her niece. Lin Xue threw a tantrum in the room, and it took Yu Niang a long time to appease her. After comforting her daughter, Yu Niang walked out of the house tiredly. When she saw Lin Ran, she was a little unhappy. At this moment, Lin Ming gave Lin Ran an egg and asked her to cook it for herself. Yu Niang was instantly unhappy. She said loudly, ¡°Ming, that egg is for your sister. She¡¯s seriously injured. She needs nourishment.¡± Lin Ran was stunned. She glanced at Yu Niang and saw that she was unhappy. She retracted her hand and said, ¡°Auntie is right. You should save the egg for her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll buy more.¡± If it were any other time, Yu Niang would only be happy to see Lin Ming treat Lin Ran well. Today, for some reason, when she heard her son¡¯s words, she found them jarring. She said bluntly, ¡°What do you mean by buying more? Do we look rich? Previously, you were sick, and now your sister is injured. We have already spent a few taels of silver. Do you think we still have money?¡± ¡°Mother, why are you saying this? If we don¡¯t have money, I can just earn more. I¡¯ve recovered from my illness now. I can make money by copying some books.¡± Seeing that the mother and son were arguing, Lin Ran said, ¡°Stop talking. I don¡¯t want to eat this egg anymore.¡± Lin Ming did not listen to Lin Ran and stuffed the egg into her hand. He turned to his mother and said, ¡°Mother, Ran has been kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days. She needs nourishment as well.¡± Yu Niang parted her lips and wanted to say something, but when she met her son¡¯s unquestionable gaze, she could only swallow the words that were about to come out of her mouth. Lin Xue had been listening to the people in the courtyard. When she heard that her mother would not let Lin Ran eat eggs, she was quite happy and a little proud. However, her brother did not listen to her mother and insisted on letting Lin Ran eat it. He even used kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days as an excuse. Kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days was nothing and she should kneel to death altogether. No, she could not let Lin Ran snatch her food. Even if Lin Xue had to throw it away, she could not let Lin Ran eat it. For this, Lin Xue shouted again, ¡°Mother, it hurts. It hurts so much. Mother, Mother, am I going to die?¡± Lin Ran knew that Lin Xue was pretending. As for Lin Xue¡¯s motive, she had an inkling about what she wanted. Sure enough, Lin Xue first coaxed Yu Niang into agreeing not to give Lin Ran eggs. She then said to Yu Niang, ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t want to see her. Send her to the woodshed tonight.¡± Chapter 15 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°Alright, alright, alright. Whatever you want. I¡¯ll do as you wish. Don¡¯t be angry. Rest well and don¡¯t cause trouble anymore.¡± Lin Ran and Lin Ming were in the courtyard and heard Lin Xue and Yu Niang¡¯s words clearly. For this reason, when Yu Niang walked out and looked at Lin Ran guiltily, Lin Ran turned around and took out her blanket. ¡°Ran, what are you doing?¡± When Lin Ming saw Lin Ran take out the blanket, he thought that she was really going to move to the woodshed. He went forward to stop her and said, ¡°Ran, she was joking. Don¡¯t take it seriously. How can anyone live in the woodshed?¡± Lin Ran looked at Lin Ming and smiled. ¡°I know what you mean, so you don¡¯t have to stop me. I won¡¯t move to the woodshed. I have my own home, so I don¡¯t need to live in the woodshed.¡± With that, Lin Ran left the courtyard and walked toward her house. The two brothers of the Lin family did not live together. Lin Ran¡¯s original house was a little remote and was closer to the foot of the mountain. Yu Niang was stunned as she watched Lin Ran walk out with the blanket. When she came back to her senses, Lin Ran was already far away. She panicked. No, she could not let Lin Ran leave just like that. Otherwise, when her husband returned, he would beat her to death. At the thought of this, Yu Niang chased after her. As she chased, she shouted, ¡°Ran, Ran, stop.¡± ¡°Ran, Ran, don¡¯t go!¡± Lin Ran ignored her and walked straight to her home using her memory. It was not like she did not have a home, so there was no reason for her to rely on others. If she was really just a 13-year-old girl, she might not have dared to. Fortunately, she was not. She had lived for 36 years in her previous life and had seen all kinds of things. She just had to live alone and she was unafraid. Yu Niang shouted very loudly and quickly attracted the attention of the people in the village. They walked out of the house and looked at one person walking and the other chasing. They did not understand what was going on. An auntie with a poor relationship with Yu Niang saw Lin Ran passing by her house and grabbed her. She asked, ¡°Lin Ran, what are you doing? Why are you even holding a blanket?¡± ¡°Auntie Liu, I¡¯m going home to stay.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you living at your uncle¡¯s house? Why are you going home again? It¡¯s not safe for a girl like you to live at the foot of the mountain. Listen to me and don¡¯t go.¡± Lin Ran smiled and pretended to be strong. ¡°Auntie Liu, I appreciate your kindness. I don¡¯t want to live alone, but I have no choice. Lin Xue was punished and is in a bad mood, so she doesn¡¯t want me around. Just now, she asked me to stay in the woodshed. You know what kind of place the woodshed is. If I really live there, I¡¯ll definitely fall sick.¡± ¡°What? Lin Xue let you stay in the woodshed? How could she do that? Besides, it¡¯s not your fault. She was in the wrong. Shouldn¡¯t she be punished?¡± ¡°Oh right. What did your aunt say? Didn¡¯t she persuade Lin Xue?¡± Lin Ran smiled bitterly, lowered her head slightly, and whispered, ¡°What can she say? She¡¯s in a difficult position too. I don¡¯t want to make things difficult for her. I should go back to my own house. Fortunately, my house is still around. Otherwise, I really wouldn¡¯t have a place to live.¡± ¡°Alright, Auntie Liu, I can¡¯t talk to you anymore. The house hasn¡¯t been occupied for a long time, so I still have to tidy it up. I have to go.¡± With that, Lin Ran left in a hurry. However, her words left a lot of things in Auntie Liu¡¯s heart. Chapter 16 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations The moment someone heard the commotion, they came out to ask Aunt Liu what was going on. She promptly told them what had happened. Everyone¡¯s impression of Lin Xue and Yu Niang immediately worsened. When Yu Niang chased after her, she was met with everyone¡¯s strange gazes. However, she did not think too much about it and continued to chase after Lin Ran. She was both regretful and angry. She regretted letting Lin Ran stay in the woodshed after listening to Lin Xue. She was angry that Lin Ran was insensible and wanted to go home without saying anything. It was not safe for a young lady like her to live alone at the foot of the mountain. If others found out, who knew what they would say about her, let alone her own man? If her man found out that Lin Ran went back to live alone because of her, he might beat her up. Lin Ming wanted to chase Lin Ran back, but he knew the root of the problem. Therefore, he decided to settle his sister¡¯s matter first before bringing Lin Ran back. After Yu Niang went after Lin Ran, Lin Ming walked straight to his sister¡¯s room. He did not enter the room but stood at the door and looked at her coldly. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lin Xue was initially happy. When she saw her brother standing at the door looking at her coldly, she was shocked. ¡°Xue, how did you become like this?¡± Lin Ming looked at Lin Xue with disappointment. He never thought that his cute and obedient sister would become a different person. ¡°What are you talking about? How have I changed? I haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± Lin Xue looked at Lin Ming in confusion. She had always disliked Lin Ran and it had always been this way. ¡°Is it really the same?¡± Lin Ming looked deeply at Lin Xue. In fact, he had already felt the change in his sister. However, he did not think much about it at the time. He simply assumed the change in her sister¡¯s attitude was just due to age. Even Lin Ming was changing all the time. He had gradually grown more sensible, mature, and responsible. He did not expect his sister to become so completely vicious. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Lin Xue was losing her patience. She did not want to discuss this with Lin Ming. Whether she changed or not, she was still her. ¡°Xue, why did you force Mother to let Ran stay in the woodshed? Do you hate Ran that much? She¡¯s your cousin and not your enemy.¡± ¡°I knew you were saying this for her sake. Why? Is she your only sister? What about me? You only know how to feel sorry for her. Why don¡¯t you feel sorry for me? I¡¯m so seriously injured that I can only lie in bed without daring to move, but you haven¡¯t shown me any concern. But what about her? She only knelt in the ancestral hall for three days, and your heart is already aching. Who is your biological sister anyway?¡± ¡°Xue, in my eyes, you are the same as Ran. You are both like sisters to me.¡± Lin Ming¡¯s face was full of pain. He seemed to understand the reason for Lin Xue¡¯s change. When he was in school, he had heard from his classmates that a woman¡¯s jealousy was terrifying. At that time, he only smiled when he heard that, thinking that his classmates were exaggerating. Until today, he finally understood how terrifying this jealousy was. Previously, before Ran moved in, he only had Xue as his sister, so he naturally prioritized her. When Ran moved in, everyone thought that she might have trouble acclimating especially since her parents were deceased, so they paid her more attention. This was completely reasonable. Lin Ming did not expect that his concern for Lin Ran had made Lin Xue jealous and made her change so much. Chapter 17 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You lied to me. You love her more than me, and you like her more than me.¡± Lin Xue retorted loudly, looking a little crazy. She did not feel that she had done anything wrong. She just wanted to snatch back her love. As long as Lin Ran was gone, everything could return to normal. She was still her parents¡¯ most beloved daughter and her brother¡¯s most beloved sister. Seeing his sister like this, Lin Ming did not feel good either. However, he could not just watch as his sister took the wrong path, so he still had to persuade her and say what needed to be said. For this reason, he walked into the room and came in front of Lin Xue. He touched her head and said, ¡°Xue, you silly girl. Why would you think that way? You are related to me by blood and Ran is just a relative.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lin Xue didn¡¯t believe it. If it was really as her brother said, why were they so good to Lin Ran? ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. Would I lie to you? We¡¯re good to Ran because we pity her. Think about it. She lost her parents at such a young age and has no one to dote on her. Isn¡¯t she very pitiful?¡± ¡°She¡¯s quite pitiful, but what does it have to do with me? Why should she take away my love just because she¡¯s pitiful? I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t like her. In this family, it¡¯s impossible for us to coexist. I know what you mean by saying these words. You want me to compromise and let her come back to live, right? Let me tell you, I won¡¯t ever agree to it. Unless you don¡¯t want me anymore.¡± ¡°Xue, why don¡¯t you understand? It¡¯s not that Ran has to live in our house since she has her own home. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s young and her parents are dead. If she lives alone, she might get into some accident. No matter what, she¡¯s still your cousin. How could you stand by and let that happen to her, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m just an insensible girl. I know you¡¯ve stopped liking me and only care about her. Then go find her. Why bother about me? I¡¯ve already said my piece. It¡¯s impossible for us to get along peacefully in the future. If you don¡¯t want me as your sister, you can bring her back to stay anytime.¡± After saying this, Lin Xue went back under the blanket angrily and ignored Lin Ming. Lin Ming looked at his unreasonable sister. He was angry and frustrated. He felt that his sister had been spoiled rotten by them. It seemed like he had to have a good talk with his parents. He had to think of a way to change his sister¡¯s temper. Otherwise, she would easily cause trouble for the family. At the foot of the mountain, Lin Ran took out her keys and opened the door. After three months of not living here, the furniture was covered in dust. Ever since her parents passed away, she had never returned. Firstly, she was afraid of being reminded of her parents, and secondly, she was too timid to come back. Unlike the host, Lin Ran was not afraid of living alone. Compared to living alone, she hated living under someone else¡¯s roof, even if the other party was her uncle and they treated her well. Besides, living under someone else¡¯s roof was not as comfortable as living in her own house. Even if she could live in luxury, nothing could compare to her own doghouse. Lin Ran carried her blanket into her room, lifted the oil paper covering the bed, and put down the blanket for the time being. After putting down the blanket, she walked around the courtyard to see if there were any snakes or stray cats and dogs. Fortunately, although this courtyard was remote, it was still clean. Not to mention cats and dogs, there was not even a snake in sight. After making sure that there were no pests and animals in the compound, Lin Ran began to clean up. Seeing a well in the corner of the courtyard, Lin Ran fetched some water. Chapter 18 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Yu Niang chased after her as Lin Ran cleaned up the compound. When she saw that Lin Ran had already started cleaning up the courtyard, she immediately said, ¡°Ran, stop doing it. Come back with me.¡± ¡°No, Auntie. I¡¯ll live here from now on.¡± ¡°How can that be? Your uncle will definitely be angry when he finds out that you¡¯re not living with us. Be good and go back with me and stop making me worry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Auntie. When Uncle comes back, I¡¯ll talk to him. He definitely won¡¯t blame you.¡± Lin Ran smiled. She knew that Yu Niang did not really want her to go back, but she was afraid that Lin Yuan would be angry. Speaking of which, this uncle of hers, always treated her very well. In the past, when her parents were around, Lin Yuan would often send things to her family and occasionally buy her snacks. When her parents passed away, Lin Yuan helped her with the funeral arrangements. After the funeral, he brought her home and told her that from now on, this would be her home and not to be sad. He would dote on her like a daughter in the future. Thanks to Lin Yuan¡¯s words, the host slowly recovered from her parents¡¯ death. Of course, the original owner of the body was also a well-behaved person. She often helped with work at Lin Yuan¡¯s house. Ever since she moved over, she did almost all the work at home. She washed, cooked, and cleaned. When work in the fields got too busy, she would also help. Compared to her, Lin Xue was far inferior. She clearly did not have the life of a young lady, but she insisted on treating herself as a young lady. She did not do anything at home and even let Lin Ran wash her clothes. Since the contrast was too obvious, Lin Yuan¡¯s family naturally preferred the obedient, sensible, and diligent Lin Ran. They often told Lin Xue to learn from Lin Ran. They liked Lin Ran, so they kept comparing Lin Ran to Lin Xue, but it ironically made Lin Ran lose her life. When Yu Niang heard Lin Ran¡¯s words, she could tell that Lin Ran really did not want to go back, so she did not persuade Lin Ran anymore. Instead, she helped Lin Ran tidy up the courtyard. Lin Ming could not convince Lin Xue, so he planned to visit Lin Ran first. However, when he walked into the courtyard and found his mother and Lin Ran cleaning up, he was stunned. He did not expect his mother to help clean up the courtyard instead of persuading Lin Ran to go back. ¡°Mother, Ran!¡± Lin Ming shouted. Yu Niang and Lin Ran stopped what they were doing and glanced at him. Yu Niang felt a little guilty and did not dare to make eye contact with her son. Lin Ran, on the other hand, did not take anything to heart. She smiled and greeted, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, help me pack up. The sooner I pack up, the sooner I can move over.¡± ¡°Ran, are you really going to live here?¡± ¡°What are you saying? This is my home. If I don¡¯t live here, where should I live?¡± Lin Ming looked at her and did not speak for a long time. For some reason, he seemed to hear some mockery in Lin Ran¡¯s words. These words also made him understand that Lin Ran would not go back with them. After thinking it through, he did not stay idle and joined in the cleaning up. Lin Yuan had been working at the docks in town. Sometimes, he would have to leave town with the boats, so he could not go home every day. However, he would go home every half a month. While bringing back his salary, he would also bring some snacks for the children. Today was the day he came back with the ship. This trip was very smooth, and the boss had earned a lot of money, so he happily gave them a few days¡¯ leave and let them go home to rest. Lin Yuan bought a few pieces of calligraphy paper for his son, his daughter¡¯s favorite osmanthus cake, embroidery thread for his wife, and a hairpin for Lin Ran. Chapter 19 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lin Yuan went home happily with his salary and the gifts he bought for his family. Unexpectedly, just as he reached the village entrance, someone stopped him and said to him, ¡°Yuan, you have to talk to Lin Xue. Otherwise, if she continues like this, her life will be ruined.¡± Lin Yuan looked at the person who spoke with an inexplicable expression and asked, ¡°Zhuzi, what do you mean?¡± Only then did Zhuzi realize something amiss. Lin Yuan had just returned from outside and did not know what had happened at home. Thus, he told Lin Yuan everything that had happened today. ¡°Zhuzi, you¡¯re not lying to me, right? My daughter couldn¡¯t have done that.¡± ¡°Yuan, why would I lie to you? Everyone in the village knows about this. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask the chief.¡± Seeing that Zhuzi was not joking, Lin Yuan believed him, but he still could not believe his ears. In his eyes, his dear daughter had always been obedient and adorable. It seemed unfathomable for her to do this. She was filial to her parents, respected her brother, and loved her cousins. How could she be malicious? Seeing that Lin Yuan did not believe him, Zhuzi did not say anything else. He just patted his shoulder and said, ¡°I heard from my wife that Lin Ran has moved back to the foot of the mountain.¡± ¡°What? How could that be?¡± Lin Yuan was shocked. He hurriedly bade farewell to Zhuzi and ran home. The courtyard door was open, but the courtyard was extremely quiet. Lin Yuan shouted, ¡°Yu Niang, I¡¯m back.¡± Lin Xue was extremely excited when she heard her father¡¯s voice. She shouted, ¡°Dad, dad, are you back?¡± ¡°Xue!¡± When Lin Yuan heard his daughter¡¯s voice, he took his things and walked into his daughter¡¯s room. Seeing her father, Lin Xue¡¯s eyes immediately burst into tears. She started crying, scaring Lin Yuan. He quickly walked forward and looked at his daughter in concern. ¡°Xue, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying?¡± ¡°Dad, dad, I¡¯m in pain, I¡¯m in so much pain!¡± Lin Xue cried even louder as she spoke. ¡°Xue, I heard that you¡¯re injured. Tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Lin Yuan asked as he wiped his daughter¡¯s eyes. As a father, it was certain that he would feel uncomfortable seeing his daughter injured. However, he was still a little skeptical about Zhuzi¡¯s words. Therefore, he wanted to hear what his daughter had to say and see if it was the same as what Zhuzi had said. Lin Xue glanced at her father and saw the concern in his eyes. She immediately made up her mind. She felt that her father might not know what she had done, so she could push the blame on Lin Ran. No matter how well her father treated Lin Ran, if he found out that she was beaten up because of Lin Ran, he would definitely have a problem with Lin Ran and even be angry with her. After making up her mind, Lin Xue immediately complained. As her daughter recounted the episode, Lin Yuan¡¯s expression became increasingly dark. Lin Xue, on the other hand, became happier and happier. She thought that her father was angry at Lin Ran and would definitely avenge her. Lin Ran, just you wait. Your days are numbered. Just as Lin Xue was feeling proud of herself, Lin Yuan suddenly stood up. He looked at his daughter with an angry expression and asked, ¡°Xue, is this really true?¡± ¡°Dad, what do you mean?¡± Lin Xue was shocked, a little scared, but more worried. She felt that something was wrong with her father¡¯s mood and was afraid that he knew something. Chapter 20 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°Xue, I¡¯ll find out what exactly happened. If it¡¯s really Ran¡¯s fault, I¡¯ll seek justice for you. If you end up slandering Ran, don¡¯t call yourself my daughter.¡± ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t believe me?¡± Lin Xue¡¯s heart sank. When she met her father¡¯s fierce gaze, as if he wanted to look into the depths of her heart, she lowered her eyes guiltily. She could not help but hate Lin Ran even more. She did not expect her father to not believe her. Although her words were half-truths, she was his daughter. How could he not believe her? ¡°It¡¯s not that!¡± Lin Yuan shook his head and said, ¡°I believe you, but I can¡¯t just listen to your one-sided words. By the way, where are Ran and your mother? Where did they go?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lin Xue was a little angry and her tone was not good. She had cried for a long time and it was all for nothing. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look for them myself. Rest well at home.¡± Lin Yuan glanced at his daughter and stood up to leave. He did not take out the gift he had prepared for his daughter. At the foot of the mountain, Lin Ran did not know that Lin Yuan had returned. After the three of them worked hard, the house and courtyard were tidied up and ready for her to move in. Seeing that the courtyard had been cleaned up, Lin Ming said to Lin Ran, ¡°Ran, I¡¯ll go home and get you some food.¡± ¡°Thank you then.¡± Lin Ming nodded. Just as he walked out of the courtyard, he saw his father rushing over. ¡°Father, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Are you all here?¡± Lin Yuan glanced at his son and walked straight into the courtyard. As expected, not only was his wife here, but Lin Ran was also there. Looking at the courtyard that had been tidied up, Lin Yuan understood everything. Lin Ran was a little surprised to see Lin Yuan. She smiled and greeted, ¡°Hi, Second Uncle.¡± Yu Niang was very happy to see her husband. She went forward to greet him when she heard him ask, ¡°Ran, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Hearing her husband¡¯s question, the smile on Yu Niang¡¯s face faded. She turned to look at Lin Ran and shook her head gently. She did not want Lin Ran to tell him about what she and her daughter had done, or her husband would definitely be angry. Lin Ran glanced at Yu Niang and remembered that she had helped her just now. She smiled and replied, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m not used to living in your house, so I want to move back.¡± Lin Yuan did not see his wife¡¯s subtle reaction, but he simply did not want Lin Ran to live alone. His brother and sister-in-law were not around, so he had the obligation to take good care of his niece. If he let her live alone, it would attract gossip and it was also not safe. He said to Lin Ran candidly, ¡°Ran, you¡¯ve just moved in with me, so it¡¯s normal for you to be unaccustomed to it. After living at my place longer, you¡¯ll naturally get used to it. I¡¯m worried about you living alone. This place is closer to the mountain. If wild beasts come down, you¡¯ll be in danger. Be good and go back with me.¡± ¡°Uncle, I appreciate your kindness, but I¡¯ve already decided to stay here. You¡¯ve just returned from town, so you must be tired. Go home and rest. Coincidentally, I don¡¯t have any food here, so I¡¯ll take some from your house first. I¡¯ll return it to you when I have money.¡± Seeing that Lin Ran was reluctant, Lin Yuan was a little angry. For this reason, he glanced at his son and wife angrily and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help stop her?¡± ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s not their fault. It was my idea.¡± ¡°Ran, you¡¯re still young and don¡¯t understand a lot of things. Listen to me and move back. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be angry.¡± Chapter 21 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Seeing Lin Yuan¡¯s insistence, Lin Ran sighed and said, ¡°Second Uncle, Xue, and I got into a fight. We just need some space for a while. Why don¡¯t you just let me move out? I promise you that I¡¯ll take good care of myself. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Lin Yuan could tell that Lin Ran was determined not to go back, so he could only give up. However, he still decided to ask what had happened. He did not ask Lin Ran but asked his son directly. Lin Ming did not side with anyone and told him what had happened. Previously, when he heard Zhuzi¡¯s words, Lin Yuan did not realize the severity of the problem. Now that he heard it from his son¡¯s mouth, he suddenly realized a problem. They had doted on this daughter too much previously. Otherwise, his daughter would not have become so reckless and have the audacity to pull this off. This time, his son got lucky. He might be fine for now, but it might not be the case next time. Therefore, the most important thing now was to fix his daughter¡¯s personality. Lin Ran finally sent Lin Yuan and his family away before sitting down to rest. When she came, she had only taken the blanket and had to go back to get her clothes. However, there was no hurry. There were still some of her old clothes at home. She could wear them first and go back to get them when she was free. As for the food, Lin Ming would send it over, so she did not have to worry. For the moment, she was fine. Previously, when she was busy, she did not feel it. Now that she was free, she was a little hungry. It was no wonder. She had secretly gone out to eat something last night, but it was almost noon. Unfortunately, the best housewife could not cook without ingredients. There were no food supplies now, so she could only boil some water and drink some to fill her stomach. Lin Ran went into the kitchen to boil water. Not long after, Lin Ming came over with food supplies. Seeing that Lin Ran was boiling water, he wanted to help, but Lin Ran refused. He said, ¡°Second Uncle is back today, so I won¡¯t bother buying you dinner. When I earn money one day, I¡¯ll treat you.¡± ¡°Ran, I don¡¯t want you to suffer. If you don¡¯t have money, just tell me. I will help you make money.¡± Lin Ran did not turn down Lin Ming¡¯s kind intentions. She smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll thank you first.¡± Lin Ran had come up with a plan to make money. When she was in the ancestral hall, she had already thought about it. If she wanted to use her medical skills to make a living, it probably was not enough, so she could sell herbs first. The last time she went up the mountain, she discovered that there were many herbs that could be sold in town. This way, she could have a legitimate source of money. No one would question her when she spent the money in her possession. Lin Ran had always been a person of action, so after lunch and a short break, she carried her basket into the mountains. She recalled someone still on the mountain, so she even brought him some food. In the cave, Sima Yunshen had recovered from the poison, and his injuries were much better. He felt that it would not affect his movements, so he prepared to leave. He still had things to do and could not stay here for too long. His only regret was that he could not see the lady who saved him again. He did not know her name. These few days, he thought that the lady would come, but no one came. Never mind. If they were fated to meet, it would happen in good time. Sima Yunshen took one last look at the cave, left a jade pendant and a banknote, and turned to leave. He did not realize Lin Ran was digging for herbs in a mountain ridge not far away when he left. Lin Ran picked herbs as she walked towards the cave. Chapter 22 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations By the time she reached the cave, her basket was almost full. She stood in front of the cave for a while and listened for any movements. After confirming that there were no abnormalities, she entered the cave. As soon as she entered, she knew that the person she had saved had already left. Lin Ran did not think too much about it. She scanned the cave and quickly found the jade pendant that Sima Yunshen had left behind. She went forward and took the jade pendant. Only then did she realize that there was a banknote with a denomination of 200 yuan under the jade pendant. Lin Ran put away the banknotes and jade pendant and carried the basket home. Ever since she moved back to her house, Lin Ran had been going out early and returning late to pick herbs on the mountain. She only stopped when the entire courtyard was filled with herbs. She decided to sell the herbs first. On this day, Lin Ran woke up early and went out with the herbs. Unexpectedly, he met Auntie Liu at the village entrance. When Auntie Liu saw her, she immediately said, ¡°Lin Ran, I have good news for you.¡± ¡°What good news?¡± Lin Ran asked with a smile. She knew that Auntie Liu liked to gossip and knew a lot of things, so she did not think too much about it. Unexpectedly, Aunt Liu kept her in suspense. She smiled at her and said, ¡°Guess!¡± ¡°Auntie Liu, do I look like a god? How would I know?¡± Even if she could guess, Lin Ran did not want to waste her energy. If she had the energy, she would rather spend it doing something more productive. ¡°Haha. I was so happy that I forgot. How could you guess such a thing? Forget it, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± ¡°Let me tell you, Lin Xue was beaten up.¡± Auntie Liu suddenly lowered her voice and pressed her mouth against Lin Ran¡¯s ear. Lin Ran was not used to being so close to people and almost pushed her away. When she remembered that they were on an ox cart, she stopped. However, she moved her body away from Aunt Liu and asked, ¡°What? Did she get beaten? Who did it?¡± Over the past few days, Lin Ran had been busy with her plans to earn money. She was busy picking herbs and making medicine, so she had no time to go around the village, and knew nothing about this. ¡°Who else? Her father.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is my uncle suddenly willing to hit her?¡± Lin Ran was a little curious. In her impression, Lin Yuan especially doted on Lin Xue and gave her everything his daughter wanted. Otherwise, Lin Xue would not have gotten raised to have a fussy rich girl¡¯s airs. Not only did she not do any work at home, but she also often picked on others. To be honest, only the host could tolerate it. If it were Lin Ran, she would have given Lin Xue a piece of her mind ages ago. ¡°What else could it be? She asked for it.¡± Aunt Liu¡¯s face was full of disdain. She told him about how Lin Xue made trouble for Lin Ming after she was injured. Only then did Lin Ran know that Lin Xue had gone overboard. She actually used her injury to prevent Lin Ming from going to school and asked him to accompany her at home. Lin Xue did not even realize what she was doing. Lin Ming was the hope of the Lin family. It was not easy for him to pass the preliminary exams and was about to take the Elementary Scholar Examination very soon. How could he accompany her at home? Studying was like sailing against the current. If one did not advance, one would fall behind. Even if Lin Ming had some talent, it would be hard to keep up with his studies without going to school. No wonder Lin Yuan beat her up. It was true that he doted on his daughter, but he really valued his promising son, Lin Ming. Lin Ran was happy to hear that Lin Xue had been punished, but on second thought, she felt something was wrong. Compared to Lin Yuan, Yu Niang liked her daughter more. It was impossible for her not to stop her husband from hitting her. Thinking of this, she asked directly, ¡°Aunt Liu, when my uncle hit her, didn¡¯t my aunt stop him?¡± Chapter 23 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°Of course I did. But she was also implicated by Lin Xue and was beaten up by your uncle. She did not dare to go out these few days for fear of being laughed at. Actually, she has already become a joke in everyone¡¯s eyes.¡± Speaking of Yu Niang, Aunt Liu¡¯s face was filled with joy. She had long detested Yu Niang for her vulnerable appearance because she was popular with men. Even her own husband often told her to learn from Yu Niang. Along the way, Lin Ran heard a lot of gossip. It was not until the ox cart arrived in town that she could finally have some peace. After getting off the ox cart and seeing people paying the ox cart driver money, Lin Ran was a little embarrassed. She said to the uncle driving the cart, ¡°Uncle Wang Gen, I don¡¯t have any money on me now. I¡¯ll give you the money after I sell the herbs, okay?¡± ¡°Sure, why not? Go ahead. Remember to watch the time.¡± Wang Gen waved his hand, telling Lin Ran not to take it to heart. The villagers pitied her for her predicament. It was just a few copper coins. He could collect them anytime. If not for the fact that he was afraid that everyone would follow suit, he would have directly waived the fare. Lin Ran thanked Wang Gen and carried the basket to the medical hall. There were two medical halls in town. On the way, she asked around. The Wu family¡¯s medical hall had a good reputation. Be it treating patients or taking medicine, the prices were relatively fair. The medical hall belonged to the Qian family and was just like its surname which literally meant money. Everything was more expensive. When they arrived at the medical hall, Lin Ran realized that it was opened by Doctor Wu, who had treated Lin Ming the last time. They were more or less acquaintances. Seeing that Doctor Wu was busy, Lin Ran walked straight to the shop assistant and asked with a smile, ¡°Does your clinic buy herbs?¡± The shop assistant glanced at Lin Ran and nodded. ¡°Yes, but it depends on the quality of the herbs. The good ones will fetch more.¡± ¡°Alright, then help me take a look.¡± Lin Ran gave the medicine basket to the shop assistant and asked him to check while she waited at the side. At this moment, a shout suddenly came from outside the medical hall. ¡°Doctor Wu, Doctor Wu, save my mother. She¡¯s dying.¡± A middle-aged man rushed into the clinic with a woman on his back. When Doctor Wu heard the shout, he quickly walked toward the patient. Since Lin Ran happened to be there, she followed him. As a doctor, her occupational instincts had kicked in again. She actually arrived in front of the woman first. Just as she was about to reach out to take the patient¡¯s pulse, she heard Doctor Wu say, ¡°Where did this little girl come from? Go away. Don¡¯t delay me from saving her.¡± Hearing Doctor Wu¡¯s words, Lin Ran came back to her senses and awkwardly moved aside. Doctor Wu went forward and looked at the woman¡¯s expression. He instructed, ¡°Quick, put her on the stool so that I can take her pulse.¡± The man saw a stool beside him and put his mother down. He said to Doctor Wu with a worried expression, ¡°Doctor Wu, quickly take a look at my mother. When she was eating in the morning, she suddenly complained that her stomach hurt and she rolled on the ground.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take a look at her first,¡± Doctor Wu said as he reached out to take the woman¡¯s pulse. Lin Ran watched from the side and was a little anxious. She wished she could do it herself. Unfortunately, she was only a thirteen-year-old girl and did not have a master here. Even if she said that she knew how to treat illnesses, no one would believe her. Unless¡­ Lin Ran looked at Doctor Wu, who was taking the woman¡¯s pulse and then at the sick woman. An idea struck her. Chapter 24 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Doctor Wu quickly took her pulse and wrote a prescription. He said to the middle-aged man, ¡°Go get the medicine!¡± After the middle-aged man took the prescription, he immediately went to the shop assistant to get the medicine. Lin Ran looked at the woman¡¯s painful expression and turned to ask Doctor Wu, ¡°Doctor Wu, this patient is in a lot of pain. Can I help her relieve it?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not a doctor. What if something goes wrong?¡± Doctor Wu objected with a straight face as he looked at Lin Ran. When he saw that the person who spoke was Lin Ran, his expression softened and he said, ¡°Oh. Miss Lin, I didn¡¯t realize it was you.¡± ¡°Do you remember me?¡± Lin Ran smiled. She did not expect Doctor Wu to remember her. ¡°Of course I remember,¡± Doctor Wu said in his heart. He naturally remembered the first woman he had seen using strong alcohol to reduce a patient¡¯s fever but almost ended up drowned in the pond. ¡°Why are you here? Are you feeling unwell, or are you here to get medicine?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to sell herbs.¡± Lin Ran pointed at the shop assistant. Since the shop assistant was busy collecting herbs, Lin Ran¡¯s basket was still placed by the side. ¡°Do you know about herbs?¡± Doctor Wu was pleasantly surprised. When he thought about how she knew how to reduce the patient¡¯s fever from strong alcohol, he was no longer astonished. Lin Ran smiled and replied, ¡°I know a little.¡± When Doctor Wu heard Lin Ran¡¯s words, he recalled that she had said that she wanted to help the woman relieve her pain. His heart skipped a beat and he said, ¡°You said that you can help the woman relieve her pain?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lin Ran smiled and nodded. ¡°I have two ways to relieve the pain. One is acupuncture, and the other is massage.¡± Doctor Wu was worried about acupuncture because he had never heard that Lin Ran knew medicine. Massage was noninvasive, so he was more open to the suggestion and said to Lin Ran, ¡°Then give her a massage.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Ran was waiting for Doctor Wu to say this. She walked to the woman¡¯s side and said with a smile, ¡°Grandma, I saw that you were in a lot of pain, so I will give you a massage to relieve it, okay?¡± ¡°Can you really help me relieve my pain?¡± The woman had a look of disbelief on her face. She turned to Doctor Wu and asked, ¡°Doctor, is this your disciple?¡± Doctor Wu shook his head and said, ¡°Miss Lin is not my disciple, but I think we can let her try. If it can really ease the pain in your body, won¡¯t everyone be happy?¡± The woman hesitated but finally nodded. Seeing that the woman agreed, Lin Ran rolled up her sleeve slightly and pressed a few acupuncture points on the woman¡¯s body. As she did so, the woman¡¯s expression softened. Doctor Wu was a doctor, so he could tell at a glance that Lin Ran was pressing on an acupuncture point. He immediately became intrigued and asked, ¡°Miss Lin, who is your master?¡± Lin Ran wanted to say that her grandfather taught her Chinese medicine, but she was afraid of exposing herself. She was now a villager in Shanglin Village, and there were no medical practitioners in her family. In addition, she still wanted to acknowledge Doctor Wu as her master, so after some thought, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a master. I just read some medical books myself and tried it on my parents in the past.¡± She initially thought Doctor Wu would get angry and think she was messing around. Unexpectedly, Doctor Wu looked at her in surprise and asked, ¡°Miss Lin, do you want to be my student?¡± When Lin Ran heard this, she was stunned. She did not expect things to go so smoothly. She was still thinking about how to ask Doctor Wu to take her in as his disciple after selling the herbs. Doctor Wu had unexpectedly taken the initiative to bring it up. This was quite a stroke of luck and she had gotten what she wanted. Chapter 25 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°Why? Miss Lin, are you unwilling?¡± Seeing that Lin Ran was silent, Doctor Wu was a little anxious. It was not easy for him to find someone with the potential to study medicine. He had to take her in. Besides, he had a feeling that if he missed Lin Ran, he would never be able to find such a good disciple in the future. ¡°No, I just can¡¯t believe it.¡± Lin Ran smiled and looked at Doctor Wu in embarrassment. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Doctor Wu was very delighted. If not for the fact that there were still patients around, he would have asked the staff to bring wine over and celebrate. The woman¡¯s pain had already subsided. Seeing that Doctor Wu had taken in a disciple, she was also happy for him and said, ¡°Doctor Wu, congratulations.¡± ¡°Haha. Thank you!¡± Doctor Wu was really happy. He said to the shop assistant, ¡°Give this lady a 20% discount on her medicine.¡± This time, the woman was also happy. She did not expect that her words would get her a 20% discount on her medicine. After the shop assistant finished collecting the medicine, the woman and her son left gratefully. At this moment, there were no more patients in the medical hall. Doctor Wu was in a good mood and directly instructed the shop assistant, ¡°Go prepare some food and wine. I want to have a good drink.¡± ¡°Master, don¡¯t be anxious. Since I want to take you as my master, I have to prepare as well. We should choose a good day and bring the elders of my family as witnesses to take you as my master.¡± ¡°Alright, then go back for now. I¡¯ll inform you after picking a date. How about that?¡± ¡°Okay. Yes, Master.¡± Lin Ran nodded and said to the shop assistant, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you with these herbs.¡± The shop assistant nodded and looked at the herbs Lin Ran had brought. Seeing they were already prepped, he said happily, ¡°Miss Lin, do you know how to brew herbs?¡± When Doctor Wu heard this, he also turned to look at the herbs. When he realized that not only had those herbs been prepped, but they were also very well done, he could not help but have a trace of doubt. Did Lin Ran really not have a master? He quickly brushed off this thought. He felt that Lin Ran did not seem to be a liar. There was probably more to it but she was unable to say more. Since the herbs had been prepped before, they fetched a relatively high price and were sold for a tael of silver. Seeing that it was getting late and she still had to buy more things, Lin Ran said to Doctor Wu, ¡°Master, I won¡¯t stay any longer today. I still have to buy some things. I¡¯ll come and see you in a few days.¡± After she left, the shop assistant looked at Doctor Wu with a funny expression and asked, ¡°Doctor Wu, why did you suddenly take this young lady as your disciple? Didn¡¯t you say before that you won¡¯t take in disciples for the rest of your life?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I change my mind?¡± Doctor Wu rolled his eyes at the shop assistant and said, ¡°Don¡¯t interfere in my matters. Go back to work.¡± The shop assistant had no choice but to turn around and work. On the other hand, Doctor Wu reached out and stroked his beard, feeling that he had picked up a treasure. Lin Ran was young, but not only did she know herbs, but she also knew simple medical skills. Also, she was completely self-taught. Such a smart disciple could only be chanced upon by luck. God had really treated him well, by sending her to him. It was said that misfortune and fortune often came as a package. This saying was indeed true for Lin Ran. Lin Ran did not know what Doctor Wu was thinking, nor did she know that Doctor Wu was not an ordinary doctor. At this moment, she had already gone to the streets to shop. Lin Ran bought some food supplies and some daily necessities before walking toward the place she had agreed to meet Uncle Wang Gen. Chapter 26 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lin Ran arrived to see no one else there, so Lin Ran thought for a moment and went to the bookstore again to buy a few pieces of paper for Lin Ming. She wanted to thank him for taking care of her during this period. When she returned to where the ox cart was waiting, everyone had arrived. Uncle Wang Gen asked everyone to put their things away and drove the ox cart back to the village. Auntie Liu was still sitting with Lin Ran. Seeing her basket was filled with things, she smiled and asked, ¡°What did you buy? So much?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to eat at home. I bought some rice and noodles.¡± ¡°Looks like you made money then?¡± ¡°I earned a little.¡± Lin Ran nodded. When she came, she mentioned she was going to sell herbs. Everyone knew there were herbs on the back of the mountain, but no one was able to identify them. Now, seeing Lin Ran had succeeded in selling herbs to make money, some people were tempted and wanted her to teach them how to recognize herbs. Unexpectedly, as soon as they opened their mouths, Auntie Liu scolded them and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you shameless? Lin Ran has no parents. It was not easy for her to have a livelihood, but you are trying to snatch it away. How is she going to live?¡± ¡°Auntie Liu, look at what you¡¯re saying. We¡¯re just talking.¡± Aunt Liu snorted and rolled her eyes at those people. Lin Ran did not expect Auntie Liu to stand up for her. She said gratefully, ¡°Auntie Liu, thank you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stand on ceremony. If anyone bullies you in the future, just tell me. I will help you reprimand them.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lin Ran nodded. She felt that although Auntie Liu was gossipy, she was a good person. She decided if anything happened to Auntie Liu in the future, she had to help. After returning to the village, Lin Ran gave the money to Uncle Wang Gen and went home with the basket. Since she had to pass by the Lin family on her way home, she was unexpectedly seen by Lin Xue as she sunbathed in the courtyard. Seeing Lin Ran carrying a basket full of things, fury rose in Lin Xue¡¯s heart. She chased after Lin Ran from the courtyard and shouted at her, ¡°Lin Ran, stop!¡± Lin Ran stopped and turned to look at Lin Xue. She asked coldly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Did you buy something?¡± Lin Xue¡¯s gaze fell on Lin Ran¡¯s basket. She wondered where Lin Ran got the money to buy so many things. ¡°What does it have to do with you whether I buy anything or not?¡± Lin Ran¡¯s expression turned dark. Lin Xue was too nosy. In the past, when Lin Ran lived in the Lin family, she could not do anything to Lin Xue. Now, she was not going to let Lin Xue get away with this. ¡°Where did you get the money?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Lin Ran was very unhappy. Her money was none of Lin Xue¡¯s business. When Lin Ran refused to tell Lin Xue, her expression became even uglier. She said, ¡°I know even if you don¡¯t say it. My brother and father gave you the money, right?¡± Before Lin Ran could answer, she continued, ¡°Aren¡¯t you shameless? Didn¡¯t you move out? Why did you take my brother and father¡¯s money? That¡¯s my family¡¯s money. Hurry up and return it.¡± ¡°Lin Xue, you can eat whatever you want, but you can¡¯t talk nonsense. When did I take your family¡¯s money? I earned it myself. Do you think everyone is like you, a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat and drink?¡± ¡°Lin Ran, what did you say? Say it again if you dare.¡± Lin Xue was furious. It was one thing for her to be a lazy good for nothing, and it was another thing for her to be criticized in public. If others found out, she would never dare to go out and would even have trouble finding in-laws. Lin Ran did not care if Lin Xue was angry or not. She asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡± Chapter 27 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°You, you¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Lin Xue was so angry that her face turned red. She raised her hand and wanted to hit Lin Ran. She was simply too anxious and did not notice that she had stepped on a rock. The rock slipped and she fell to the ground. Her teeth hit another rock and knocked off her front teeth altogether. Lin Xue burst into tears. Looking at the teeth on the ground, she wanted to die. She was only 12 years old. How was she going to face people in the future if her teeth were gone? Lin Ran was stunned when she saw this scene. She looked at Lin Xue, who was crying on the ground and could not snap out of her daze for a long time. Lin Ran never thought Lin Xue would dig her own grave without her doing anything. She was a girl, but not only was her mouth bleeding, but she also broke her teeth. Yu Niang was doing housework. The moment she heard the crying, she rushed out. When she saw her daughter lying on the ground and crying while Lin Ran stood at the side, she said without thinking, ¡°Ran, how could you bully Xue?¡± ¡°Auntie, I didn¡¯t bully her. She fell herself. It has nothing to do with me.¡± Lin Ran was a little unhappy to hear Yu Niang accuse her without asking why. ¡°There¡¯s only you and Xue here. Who else could it be but you?¡± Yu Niang did not believe it at all. She felt that her daughter was not stupid. How could she fall while she was just walking? As soon as Yu Niang finished speaking, a voice immediately sounded. ¡°Yu Niang, people say you¡¯re good to Lin Ran and treat her like she¡¯s your biological daughter. In my opinion, you¡¯re just so-so. Lin Xue clearly fell on her own. Not only did I see it, but others also saw it. Yet you pushed the blame on Lin Ran without distinguishing between right and wrong. Fortunately, we all witnessed it. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know how you would have wronged Lin Ran.¡± ¡°Liu Mei, why do you keep butting into my business? No one cares about your opinion, okay? I know Zhuzi dotes on you, but you can¡¯t get away with everything. Let me tell you, this is my family¡¯s business. Don¡¯t interfere.¡± ¡°Do I look like I want to interfere? I just can¡¯t bear to see you bully Lin Ran. She¡¯s an orphan. As her aunt, not only do you not dote on her, but you even ganged up with your daughter to bully her. How shameless of you.¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡­ This is bullshit. When did I bully Lin Ran? Moreover, I¡¯m her aunt and an elder in the family. It¡¯s normal for me to scold her every now and then, right?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we get everyone to judge and see if aunts behave like you?¡± Yu Niang was so angry that her face turned red. Lin Xue was lying on the ground. When she saw her mother and Auntie Liu arguing, she was anxious and angry. She shouted, ¡°Mother, Mother, Lin Ran took our family¡¯s money. Look at how much stuff she bought. Get the money back. That money was earned by my father and brother. Even if we throw away the money, we can¡¯t let her have it.¡± Hearing her daughter¡¯s words, Yu Niang looked at Lin Ran¡¯s basket. Seeing the basket full of things, she could not help but be suspicious. In her opinion, Lin Ran was still very young, so it was impossible for her to earn much money. This money should have been given to her by her husband and son. At the thought of her man and son giving the money to Lin Ran, Yu Niang felt terrible. She took a few steps towards Lin Ran and was about to speak when Auntie Liu¡¯s loud voice sounded again. She pointed at Lin Xue¡¯s nose and scolded loudly, ¡°I¡¯ve seen shameless people, but no one is as shameless as you. You¡¯re so young, but why are you so evil? When Lin Ran has something, you always want to take it from her. Since when did she become your mother?¡± Chapter 28 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°How dare you doubt the source of Lin Ran¡¯s money. Let me tell you, she earned the money to buy things herself. We can all testify.¡± ¡°What do mean her money?¡± Lin Xue did not believe it at all. She said with a cold smile, ¡°Are you kidding me? How can a little girl earn money?¡± Lin Ran was a little unhappy and said coldly, ¡°Do you think everyone is like you? I know you can¡¯t make money, but you shouldn¡¯t assume the worst of others.¡± ¡°I admit that I can¡¯t make money. How could you possibly make money? With your face and good looks?¡± It had to be said that Lin Xue¡¯s words were really vicious. It was clear from Lin Xue¡¯s drift that she just wanted to hint that Lin Ran¡¯s money came from an illegitimate source, which made Auntie Liu and the others furious. If they had not gone to town with Lin Ran today and did not see the basket full of herbs she carried, they might have gotten misled by Lin Xue. If Yu Niang was not here, she would have rushed up and slapped Lin Xue. Auntie Liu might have held back, but certainly not Lin Ran. She was not a pushover or a sick cat. She had already been criticized. If she still let it go, she would come off looking too good-natured. In the future, anyone who saw her would probably bully her. She put the basket on the ground and grabbed Lin Xue, who was lying on the ground. She raised her hand and gave her a few slaps. Her movements were fast and ruthless. By the time Yu Niang reacted and wanted to protect her daughter, Lin Ran had already thrown her back to the ground. She looked down at Lin Xue, who was lying on the ground, and said coldly, ¡°Lin Xue, if you dare to slander me again, it won¡¯t be as simple as a few slaps. Do you think everyone is like you? You weren¡¯t born into a rich family, but you act as though you did. Let me tell you, no one in this world will dote on you except your parents. If you dare to spout nonsense again in the future, I will hit you every time I see you. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can try.¡± Lin Xue was terrified when she saw Lin Ran¡¯s ruthless expression again. She regretted provoking Lin Ran instead of asking her mother to do it. No matter what, her mother was still her aunt, so Lin Ran would not dare to attack her elders. Otherwise, people would talk. After warning Lin Xue, Lin Ran looked at Yu Niang and shouted, ¡°Auntie, if you don¡¯t discipline Lin Xue and keep her in line, I don¡¯t mind telling Uncle about it.¡± Hearing Lin Ran mention Lin Yuan, Yu Niang immediately stopped. She did not dare to test Lin Yuan¡¯s patience. She had been beaten up by him two days ago, and it still hurt. After warning Lin Xue, Lin Ran thanked Auntie Liu and went home with the basket. When Lin Ming returned from school and found out that his mother and sister had a conflict with Lin Ran again, he felt extremely tired. He went to Yu Niang and said to her, ¡°Mother, can you stop provoking Ran in the future? She¡¯s living alone now and won¡¯t be a hindrance to you. Why can¡¯t you just let her be?¡± Yu Niang was already unhappy, and now that she was being criticized, she was instantly furious. She said, ¡°Ming, don¡¯t you know who your family is? How can you say that? Even if we did something wrong, I¡¯m your mother. How can you say that about me? Also, your sister is still young. If she did something wrong, we can just tell her to change. Do you have to anxiously stand up for Lin Ran? No wonder your sister says you¡¯re biased. Don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re your family.¡± Chapter 29 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lin Ming only felt tired looking at his unrepentant mother. As a son, he really should not blame his mother. Who did she think he was doing it for? Wasn¡¯t it for the good of his mother and sister? Wasn¡¯t it for this family? Although Lin Ran was young, from her actions, it was clear that she would not get pushed around. Even if his mother and sister had the upper hand for now, it would not stay this way forever. Lin Ming did not want to argue with his mother. After putting down his bag, he went out. He wanted to see Ran. He could not let their families grow distant because of this. No matter what, they were family. When Lin Ming arrived, Lin Ran was cooking. Seeing Lin Ming, Lin Ran could not help but smile and say, ¡°Eat with me later. I bought some meat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll go back and eat. You can save the meat for yourself. Don¡¯t worry about us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just some meat. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Lin Ran smiled. She had no problems with her cousin, Lin Ming. On the contrary, she admired him quite a bit. At least, he would not be like Yu Niang and Lin Xue, who were muddle-headed. In her previous life, because Lin Ran was busy, she did not have time to go home often. Most of the time, she did everything on her own, so she learned how to cook as well and was pretty good at it. Lin Ming had originally planned to leave, but after smelling the fragrance of the food, he decided to stay. Lin Ran only made two dishes, but they were still very full. Lin Ming touched his stomach and said in embarrassment, ¡°Ran, your food is so delicious. Why didn¡¯t I realize that you were so good at cooking in the past?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not too late to know now.¡± After eating and resting for a while, Lin Ming planned to go back. He still had to study in the afternoon and strive to pass the Elementary Scholar Examination. ¡°One moment.¡± Lin Ran stopped Lin Ming and went into the house to take out the paper she had bought in the morning. She handed it to Lin Ming and said, ¡°This is my gift to you. Thank you for helping me so much.¡± ¡°Ran, I can¡¯t take it. I¡¯m older than you and we¡¯re family, so it¡¯s only right for me to help. How could I accept a gift for that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already bought it. Please accept it. Oh right. There¡¯s something else I forgot to tell you. Doctor Wu said he wants to take me in as his disciple. When my uncle comes back in a few days, I¡¯ll have to trouble both of you to accompany me to see him about it.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Lin Ming could not believe his ears. When Lin Ran assured him it was the truth, he was delighted. He said, ¡°Ran, this is a good opportunity for you, so you have to work hard. Even though there are rarely female physicians, once you¡¯ve mastered the skill, you won¡¯t have to worry about making a living. You can even teach your children and help them make a living in the future.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lin Ran smiled and nodded. After sending Lin Ming off, Lin Ran closed the courtyard door and returned to her room to rest. When she woke up, it was already afternoon. She carried her basket and went into the mountains to pick herbs again. She had collected most of the medicine nearby. She decided to walk a little further and change to another mountain. When they reached another mountain, Lin Ran was about to stop and rest when she heard a moan. She listened carefully for a while before walking toward the source of the sound. In the grass not far away, Uncle Wang, the hunter from the village, was groaning in pain with his eyes closed. After Lin Ran checked, she found a wound on his leg. He must have been bitten by a poisonous snake. From the looks of it, the wound was still new. He had probably just gotten bitten. Without second thought, Lin Ran rolled up her sleeves and began to squeeze the poison for Uncle Wang. Chapter 30 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Uncle Wang opened his eyes in a daze and saw someone squeezing poison out for him. When he saw that it was Lin Ran, he smiled and said, ¡°Lin Ran, it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Uncle Wang, don¡¯t speak. I¡¯ll squeeze out the poison for you first, then find some antidote to apply on you.¡± ¡°How can I let you do that? You¡¯re a girl. How can you help me squeeze out the poison? It¡¯s better to find someone else to do it. Otherwise, your reputation will be ruined.¡± Hearing Uncle Wang¡¯s words, Lin Ran could not help but laugh and say, ¡°Uncle Wang, now is not the time to worry about this. We¡¯re in the mountains, and other than me, no one else is around. Even if we could, by the time we call them over, the snake venom will have already entered your internal organs. At that time, even the gods won¡¯t be able to save you.¡± Uncle Wang thought about it and agreed. He did not insist and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you then.¡± Lin Ran smiled and quickened her movements. When the blood from the wound turned bright red, she stopped and turned to look in her basket. After finding the right herbs to make an antidote, Lin Ran crushed it with a stone and applied it to the wound. Uncle Wang looked at Lin Ran¡¯s practiced movements and could not help but ask, ¡°Lin Ran, do you know how to treat illnesses?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Lin Ran looked at Uncle Wang warily. She knew that there was something different with her, so she was especially careful. She was afraid others would think that she was possessed and burn her down. ¡°I have a friend who has a big boil on his body and no one dares to treat him. Since you look like you know what you¡¯re doing, I wondered if you know how to treat illnesses. I was hoping you could take a look at him.¡± Hearing this, Lin Ran was relieved and asked, ¡°Where does he live? If he doesn¡¯t live too far, I don¡¯t mind going over.¡± ¡°Not far. Not far at all. In the next village. We¡¯re in the same trade and we hunt together all the time.¡± ¡°Alright, come find me tomorrow. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Uncle Wang was very happy. Not only did he thank Lin Ran repeatedly, but he also gave her the rabbit he had hunted with great difficulty today. Lin Ran could not refuse, so she accepted it. Seeing Uncle Wang was about to leave, Lin Ran stopped him again. She took out two herbs from the basket on her back and said to him, ¡°Take this home to boil and drink. It¡¯s to neutralize the poison.¡± Uncle Wang took the herbs and said to Lin Ran, ¡°Lin Ran, you saved my life today. If ever you need help, I¡¯m at your service.¡± With that, Uncle Wang did not stay any longer and dragged his injured leg down the mountain. Seeing it was getting late, Lin Ran did not stay on the mountain for long. She carried the medicine basket and went down the mountain from the other side. The next day, as soon as Lin Ran finished breakfast, Uncle Wang came to her door. In order to make herself look like a doctor, Lin Ran took out a first aid kit from the metaphysical medical hall last night, which contained some herbs and tools. When Uncle Wang arrived, she quickly finished breakfast before going out with him. Unexpectedly, Uncle Wang said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to change your clothes?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my clothes?¡± Lin Ran looked puzzled. She checked her clothes but did not find anything wrong. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your clothes, but I¡¯m afraid others might gossip since you¡¯re a girl. It won¡¯t be good if your reputation gets tarnished.¡± Chapter 31 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Uncle Wang did not forget that Lin Ran almost got drowned when she treated Lin Ming last time. He did not want anything to happen to Lin Ran because of him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m upright and have done nothing wrong, so I¡¯m not afraid of what others will say.¡± Lin Ran waved her hand indifferently. If someone really criticized her and the people in the clan could not tolerate her, they could always expel her from the clan. Anyway, she had a master now, so she was not afraid. Hearing Lin Ran¡¯s words, Uncle Wang did not persuade her out of it anymore. Fortunately, it was still early, and the two of them did not meet anyone on the way. When they arrived at the neighboring village, Uncle Wang¡¯s friend had yet to eat breakfast. Seeing Uncle Wang and Lin Ran, Ma Erzhu was a little surprised and asked Uncle Wang, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Erzhu, I found you a doctor.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the doctor?¡± Ma Erzhu did not realize Lin Ran was the doctor at all, even though she was carrying a medical box. Female doctors existed, but none of them were as young as Lin Ran. Seeing his good friend¡¯s reaction, Uncle Wang was a little amused. He pointed at Lin Ran and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a doctor?¡± ¡°Her?¡± Ma Erzhu could not believe it and said to Uncle Wang, ¡°Are you lying to me? She¡¯s just a little girl. Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a doctor.¡± Wang Daniu nodded with a smile and said to Ma Erzhu, ¡°Let me tell you. Yesterday, I went hunting in the mountains and was accidentally bitten by a poisonous snake. It was this little girl who treated me. Otherwise, you would be out collecting my corpse by now.¡± ¡°What? Why were you so careless?¡± Ma Erzhu was worried when he heard that his friend had been bitten by a snake. In the past, when they went up the mountain to hunt, they would go together, so they could watch each others¡¯ backs. Ever since he had a big boil on his body and was in so much pain, he did not go up the mountain. Unexpectedly, his friend had been bitten by a snake. ¡°I was careless,¡± Wang Daniu said as he showed Ma Erzhu his wound. Since medicine was applied to it, Ma Erzhu only took a glance before looking away. He thanked Lin Ran solemnly and apologized. ¡°Young lady, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have doubted your identity.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Uncle Wang said you have a big boil on your body. Where is it? Can you let me take a look first?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ Are you sure about it?¡± Ma Erzhu was a little hesitant. His boil was on his back, but Lin Ran was still a young girl. In the future, she had to get married. If others knew that she had seen a man¡¯s body, she might have trouble finding a husband. Lin Ran could tell at a glance what the other party was worried about. She could not help but smile. ¡°Uncle Ma, I¡¯m a doctor, so all of you are just patients and you don¡¯t have to worry. If my future husband can¡¯t accept that I¡¯m a doctor, I don¡¯t mind staying single.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say that. All girls eventually get married. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d rather not let you see it.¡± Seeing Ma Erzhu¡¯s serious expression, Lin Ran could only soften her tone and say, ¡°Uncle Ma, I¡¯m just saying. Don¡¯t take it to heart, okay? Let¡¯s examine you first.¡± ¡°Erh¡­¡± Ma Erzhu was still a little hesitant. In the end, Wang Daniu gently touched his hand and said, ¡°Erzhu, we don¡¯t have to tell anyone she treated you if it helps, okay?¡± Ma Erzhu thought about it and finally agreed, ¡°Alright then. I don¡¯t mind getting treated by you.¡± Wang Daniu helped Ma Erzhu lift the clothes on his back, revealing the boil. Seeing the boil, Lin Ran narrowed her eyes slightly. Chapter 32 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lin Ran went forward to observe carefully and pressed it gently. She said to the two of them, ¡°This abscess can be treated, but I need to operate on it.¡± ¡°Operate? What do you mean?¡± The two of them were stunned, not understanding what Lin Ran meant. Seeing the two of them at a loss, Lin Ran explained, ¡°I mean, I have to cut open this abscess with a knife. If I¡¯m not wrong, the reason you have an abscess here isn¡¯t because of sores, but because you pricked something. That thing stabbed into your body and became inflamed, so it swelled up. As long as you let me cut it open and remove the foreign body, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Pricked something?¡± Ma Erzhu glanced at Wang Daniu and remembered that they had accidentally fallen on the mountain some time ago and their backs were against a tree. At that time, he only felt a little pain and did not take it to heart. Before he knew it, a boil started growing on his back in a matter of days. Perhaps he was pricked by something on his back when it happened. ¡°Yes!¡± Lin Ran nodded and instructed Wang Daniu, ¡°Uncle Wang, please get a basin of water and cleanse Uncle Ma¡¯s back first.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Wang Daniu nodded and turned to fetch water. Not long after, he brought a basin of water and a towel. After he wiped Ma Erzhu¡¯s back, Lin Ran opened her medical kit, took out a surgical knife, and cut the abscess. As soon as the area was cut open, viscous blood spurted out from the abscess. Fortunately, Lin Ran dodged quickly, or else it would have sprayed on her. Since Uncle Wang was standing nearby, he got a little on his body. The thick blood had yet to completely come out on its own from the abscess, so Lin Ran asked Uncle Wang to help squeeze it for a while. When the blood turned red, she took a pair of small tweezers and went forward again. After fiddling with the wound for a while, she removed something black as thin as a cow¡¯s hair. Uncle Wang heaved a sigh of relief and asked, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Yes, but he still needs to apply medicine on his wound. Otherwise, it will become inflamed.¡± ¡°Should I wash it again?¡± ¡°Do you have wine around?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ma Erzhu answered. Because of the pain, his voice was trembling. ¡°Then go get some wine first and clean the wound. I¡¯ll prepare the medicine now.¡± Lin Ran turned around and went to the medicine box to prepare the medicine. Fortunately, Uncle Wang had roughly explained Ma Erzhu¡¯s symptoms yesterday, and Lin Ran had already prepared the medicine. After Uncle Wang brought the strong wine and cleaned the wound, Lin Ran applied the ointment. The ointment was cooling, and Ma Erzhu sighed in relief. He turned to look at Wang Daniu and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re friends, why are you thanking me?¡± Wang Daniu waved his hand and said with a smile, ¡°If you have to thank anyone, it¡¯s Doctor Lin.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re right. We should thank Doctor Lin properly.¡± Ma Erzhu thanked Lin Ran again and pulled Wang Daniu aside, asking how much the medical fees cost. Wang Daniu did not know either. He did not pay the consultation fee yesterday and only gave Lin Ran a rabbit. Now that Ma Erzhu asked, he did not have the answer either, so he could only say, ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. Why don¡¯t we ask Doctor Lin directly?¡± Lin Ran had already heard their conversation, so as soon as Wang Daniu finished speaking, she smiled and said, ¡°You can pay as you see fit. It¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t have money.¡± ¡°I see. I happen to have a few rabbit skins at home. I¡¯ll give them all to you then.¡± Chapter 33 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Ma Erzhu went back to his room and took out the rabbit skins. There were a total of five pieces, which could be used to make vests for the winter. Lin Ran did not stand during the ceremony. After taking the things and explaining a few things to take note of, she left with the medical kit. Wang Daniu wanted to send Lin Ran off, but Lin Ran refused. Carrying the medicine box, she did not return the way she came. Instead, she went straight up the back of the mountain and prepared to return by taking this route. This way, she would not encounter anyone and could reduce her troubles. Right now, she had yet to officially acknowledge Doctor Wu as her master. It was better to keep a low profile. Fortunately, the two villages were only separated by a mountain, so people only needed to cross the mountain to access the other village. However, no one usually chose to cross the mountain. The mountain path was not easy to walk on and would take a lot of time. After going up the mountain, Lin Ran put the medicine box back into the metaphysical medicine hall and took out a basket used for collecting herbs. As she walked back, she picked some herbs. By the time she got down the mountain, the basket was almost full. Before she reached home, she saw a carriage parked at the entrance of the courtyard from afar. There were two people standing there. When she got closer, she realized that it was Doctor Wu and the employee. Seeing Lin Ran come down from the mountain, Doctor Wu could not help but smile. ¡°You¡¯re finally back. Otherwise, I would have gone back.¡± ¡°Master, why are you here?¡± Lin Ran asked as she quickly took out her key and opened the courtyard door. ¡°I wanted to see you and discuss the disciple acceptance ceremony.¡± ¡°Has Master already chosen an auspicious day?¡± Without waiting for Doctor Wu to return, the shop assistant beside him said, ¡°That goes without saying. Yesterday, Doctor Wu flipped through the calendar for half a day and finally chose an auspicious day.¡± ¡°I see. Which day is it then?¡± ¡°Today.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lin Ran was at a loss. The shop assistant watched and could only repeat himself, but he was cursing in his heart. He did not know why Doctor Wu was so anxious to set the date today. Doctor Wu did not know what the shop assistant was thinking. Otherwise, he would definitely tell him. He was afraid that this great student might run off if he did not seal the deal. ¡°Master, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit of a rush?¡± Lin Ran was a little speechless. This was too much of a rush. If people did not know better, they might misunderstand and think Doctor Wu was eager to acknowledge her as his master and not the other way around. ¡°Why is it a rush? It¡¯s no rush at all.¡± Doctor Wu waved his hand. After Lin Ran left yesterday, the more he thought about it, the more worried he became. If it were not for the fact there were patients in the clinic, he would have come yesterday. Since he was anxious, he came in a carriage early this morning. Sadly, Lin Ran was not at home. If it were anyone else, he would have left long ago. However, he really wanted Lin Ran as his disciple, so he waited there for more than two hours. ¡°But I haven¡¯t prepared anything, and I haven¡¯t had time to tell my uncle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve already prepared the things for you. You just need to boil water and make tea.¡± Doctor Wu waved his hand indifferently, gesturing for the shop assistant to take out the things he had prepared for the apprenticeship. This only deepened Lin Ran¡¯s suspicion that Doctor Wu was here to acknowledge her as master. Doctor Wu had prepared everything, so Lin Ran did not argue. After bringing her home, he turned around and went to the kitchen to boil water and make tea. After the tea was brewed, Doctor Wu sat down in the hall and said to Lin Ran, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Kowtow.¡± Lin Ran kowtowed a few times and took the teacup from the shop assistant. She handed it over with both hands and said to Doctor Wu, ¡°Master, please have some tea.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Doctor Wu took the tea, took a sip, and gave Lin Ran a gift. It was a set of silver needles. Chapter 34 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations This gift could be said to have touched Lin Ran¡¯s heart. The metaphysical medical hall had needles, but it was a set of golden needles, so it was too conspicuous for her to use them. Now that her master had given her a set of silver needles, she was overjoyed. She said, ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± ¡°A doctor has to be benevolent. I hope that no matter what you encounter in the future, you can remember that as a doctor. It¡¯s our duty to save the dead and heal the injured. No matter what the patient¡¯s identity is, we have to treat them equally.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll remember Master¡¯s teachings,¡± Lin Ran agreed with a smile. After becoming his official disciple, Lin Ran would no longer worry about seeing patients. She no longer had to worry about others suspecting where her medical skills came from. She had no intention of hiding anything from Doctor Wu, so she told him about her trip this morning. After Doctor Wu heard this, it took him a while to react. He asked, ¡°W-were you out seeing a patient today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lin Ran nodded. Doctor Wu suddenly flew into a rage. He slammed the table and said, ¡°Nonsense. You¡¯ve just become a disciple, and I haven¡¯t even taught you anything. How dare you treat others? You¡¯re too bold. What if something happens?¡± Lin Ran knew that Doctor Wu was doing this for her own good. She also knew Doctor Wu was worried since he did not know how good her medical skills were. In order not to worry Doctor Wu, Lin Ran could only say carefully, ¡°M-Master, actually, my medical skills are not bad.¡± ¡°With your self-taught medical skills?¡± Doctor Wu did not look down on Lin Ran, but he did not expect Lin Ran had transmigrated. He also did not know that she had experience practicing medicine in her previous life. He simply knew it was not easy to treat patients and some conditions could get tricky. If it was not handled well, someone might die. He did not want Lin Ran to harm others because of her arrogance. Lin Ran knew it was useless to argue and she would rather be truthful. For this reason, she suggested, ¡°Master, why don¡¯t you test me?¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t say it, I¡¯ll test you.¡± At the thought that Lin Ran had just become his disciple, Doctor Wu¡¯s anger dissipated a little. He decided to teach her well. He could not let her go astray. ¡°Master, please test me.¡± Lin Ran was happy and confident. She believed that with her medical skills, she should have no problems. When Doctor Wu saw Lin Ran¡¯s reaction, he was a little happy. He first asked about the characteristics of a few herbs and a few simple medical cases. Whether it was the characteristics of the herbs or the case, Lin Ran answered them fluently. Doctor Wu had wanted to dampen her spirits a little so that she would be more cautious in the future, but he was delighted by her answers. He felt he had struck gold this time. The disciple he had just taken in already knew more than many other doctors. It seemed that he had finally found a successor. With this thought in mind, Doctor Wu decided to test Lin Ran on the spot to see if she really understood or only sounded good on paper. He could not wait to test her and promptly instructed the shop assistant, ¡°Go and find the village chief and ask him if there are any sick people in the village. Tell them to come here. I want to give Ran practical tests.¡± When the shop assistant heard this, he gave Lin Ran a look and went straight to the village chief. When the village chief heard Doctor Wu was going to treat people for free, he immediately found a few patients. When Yu Niang heard Doctor Wu was giving free consultation, she thought of her daughter¡¯s broken front teeth and immediately pulled her toward Lin Ran¡¯s house. Chapter 35 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lots of people were already standing in the courtyard. Doctor Wu asked the sick people to stand up. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, more than ten people stood up. There were lots of patients, but Doctor Wu did not mind. He let them stand at the side and told the village chief to stop sending patients since they were enough. Yu Niang and Lin Xue heard this and immediately said, ¡°Sir, one more. One more please.¡± After saying that to the village chief, she said to Doctor Wu awkwardly, ¡°Doctor Wu, can you see one more patient?¡± Doctor Wu knew Yu Niang. He glanced at Lin Ran and saw that she did not object. He nodded and said, ¡°Alright, one more patient then. That¡¯s it.¡± No one had any objections, but when they thought about how Lin Ran and Lin Xue did not get along, they could not help but look at the two of them curiously. Lin Ran did not react, but Lin Xue¡¯s face darkened. Yu Niang had pulled Lin Xue over and Lin Xue was curious about the commotion at Lin Ran¡¯s place. Otherwise, she would have stormed off. ¡°Everyone, please quieten down. I¡¯d like to speak.¡± Doctor Wu took a few steps forward and gestured for everyone to calm down. He continued, ¡°I have taken in a new disciple today. To celebrate, my disciple suggested that we treat the sick in the village for free.¡± The moment he finished his sentence, everyone in the village exploded. They asked, ¡°Doctor Wu, what do you mean? Are you talking about Lin Ran? Did you take her in as your disciple?¡± ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be anxious. One by one, I¡¯ll answer your questions slowly. First of all, you¡¯re right. My disciple is Lin Ran.¡± With that, Doctor Wu pulled Lin Ran to the side and said to her with a smile, ¡°Ran, go ahead and introduce yourself.¡± Lin Ran was a little speechless, but she still smiled obediently and greeted everyone. Previously, she thought Doctor Wu just wanted to give her a practical test. In hindsight, she knew he was doing this for her reputation and to let everyone know that she was his disciple. If anyone wanted to bully her in the future, they would have to think twice. It would be a lie to say that she was not touched. Initially, Lin Ran wanted to make use of Doctor Wu. She did not expect him to be such an adorable old man. It seemed that she had to treat him better in the future. The villagers did not expect Lin Ran to really take Doctor Wu as her master. After their initial astonishment, they were sincerely happy for her. On the other hand, Lin Xue¡¯s face was extremely upset. She did not expect Lin Ran to be so lucky. She had moved out, but she was no longer just a lonely orphan. Also, Doctor Wu was now her master. Yu Niang was also dumbfounded. It took her a while to react. She looked at Lin Ran and questioned unhappily, ¡°Ran, why didn¡¯t you tell us about such a big matter?¡± Lin Ran looked at Yu Niang and did not say anything. She was not deliberately hiding anything, but it had happened too quickly. Otherwise, she would have waited for Lin Yuan to return. After he got back, she would go over and share the news before organizing an official disciple acceptance ceremony with him. Doctor Wu was so eager that he was unable to wait even a few days. They had just agreed yesterday that she would become his disciple today. Lin Ran¡¯s silence made Yu Niang even angrier. She felt Lin Ran did not respect her at all, so she could not help but say, ¡°Since your elders didn¡¯t agree, the apprenticeship isn¡¯t official.¡± When the village chief heard Yu Niang¡¯s words, he was annoyed. It was a good thing to have a doctor in the village. Although Lin Ran was a woman, it did not matter. If he ever got sick in the future, he would not have to go all the way to town to see a physician and this would make things very convenient. Chapter 36 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations The village chief directly berated, ¡°Yu Niang, you¡¯re just Ran¡¯s aunt. What right do you have to not let her acknowledge Doctor Wu as her master?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Yu Niang was rendered speechless and looked agitated. Her eyes even turned red, as if she had suffered a great grievance and looked like she was about to cry. Her vulnerable exterior might make lots of men feel protective, but she was not popular with the ladies at all. Someone said in annoyance, ¡°Yu Niang, that¡¯s enough. If you want to cry, go home and cry. When you chased Lin Ran out, why didn¡¯t you say that she was her aunt? Now that she¡¯s living alone, do you want to interfere with her? What kind of logic is this?¡± Seeing her mother was being targeted by everyone, Lin Xue was very unhappy. She glared at the women and said, ¡°Don¡¯t bully my mother. My mother did this for Lin Ran. She¡¯s a girl. Of all things, why does she have to be a doctor? It won¡¯t be good if she has to treat men in the future. She might even have trouble finding a husband in the future.¡± Lin Xue said the last few words with a hint of joy. Unlike Yu Niang, she secretly hoped Lin Ran would fail to find a husband after becoming a doctor. The villagers were initially happy for Lin Ran when she became Doctor Wu¡¯s disciple. Now, they were a little worried after hearing Lin Xue¡¯s words. They sincerely wanted the best for Lin Ran, so they tried to persuade her. ¡°Lin Ran, although Lin Xue¡¯s words are unpleasant, they make sense. Do you want to reconsider?¡± When Doctor Wu heard this, he panicked. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Ran spoke first. She glanced at the villagers and said with a smile, ¡°Who said that doctors have to treat men? I¡¯ve already thought about it. I¡¯m a woman, so in the future, I¡¯ll focus on treating women and children.¡± ¡°This is good. Great idea. Nowadays, doctors are all men. Some women are too embarrassed to let male doctors treat them. If Ran becomes a doctor, we won¡¯t have to worry so much. In the future, when women are sick, we won¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Ran, we support you as a doctor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Ran. Be sure to study hard. In the future, we¡¯ll visit you when we¡¯re sick.¡± Seeing all the women in the village supporting Lin Ran, Doctor Wu could not help but heave a sigh of relief. Previously, he did not think too much about it and only thought that Lin Ran was a medical genius. Now that he heard her plan, he was sincerely happy for her. He felt if Lin Ran remained diligent and focused, she might really be able to achieve something in the field. Lin Xue did not believe Lin Ran¡¯s words, but she did not say much. She was just worried she could not do anything to Lin Ran and take revenge for her broken teeth. Now that Lin Ran was determined to be a doctor, she could make trouble for her in the future. Lin Ran did not know that Lin Xue was up to no good again. She was surrounded by the women in the village as they asked excitedly when she could start seeing patients. Lin Ran wanted to say she could do it now, but she did not forget she had just found a teacher and had not started learning. If she treated someone now, it would be fine if nothing happened, but if anything went awry, she would be easily attacked. She could handle these problems, but she had Doctor Wu¡¯s reputation to worry about. For this reason, Lin Ran could only say to everyone, ¡°Calm down. I¡¯ll need to learn from my Master first for some time. When I¡¯m good enough, I¡¯ll treat everyone immediately, okay?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a promise then. We¡¯ll be waiting.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I always keep my word.¡± Lin Ran smiled and finished speaking. She walked toward Doctor Wu and asked, ¡°Master, when will we begin?¡± Chapter 37 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Upon hearing Lin Ran¡¯s question, Doctor Wu immediately said, ¡°Right now. Take their pulses and write down their conditions on paper. Write down the treatment plan and medicine required. When you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll examine the patients again.¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Lin Ran nodded and went forward to take the patients¡¯ pulses. Lin Ran did not write down her observations one by one. She examined all the patients before getting to work. The last one was Lin Xue, so Lin Ran ignored her. Lin Xue wanted to make things difficult for Lin Ran when she took her pulse, but Lin Ran ignored her, which made her furious. Lin Ran did not care if Lin Xue was angry or not. She sat down by the side and wrote down the illness and prescription. When Doctor Wu saw that Lin Ran had finished examining the patients, he gestured for the patients to line up and examined them again. By the time Doctor Wu finished looking at the patients, Lin Ran had already finished writing. There were no serious illnesses among these people. They were all small problems. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve already written down my observations and treatment plans. Please take a look.¡± Lin Ran handed the list to Doctor Wu and waited quietly. Doctor Wu had just taken their pulses and knew everyone¡¯s conditions well. Seeing Lin Ran¡¯s observations were correct and there were no problems with the medicine, he was happy, but at the same time, he was suspicious again. He felt that Lin Ran was like an experienced doctor, but on second thought, he felt he was overthinking. After all, Lin Ran was only 13 years old. Even if she was really a genius, it was impossible for her to study medicine from birth. Moreover, she was still young. Without her master¡¯s guidance, no patients would dare to let her examine them. Doctor Wu stopped thinking about it and decided Lin Ran was probably a natural talent. For this, he was even happier. She was such an outstanding child and now she was his disciple. ¡°Not bad! Not bad at all!¡± Doctor Wu praised Lin Ran and copied the prescription she had prescribed before handing it to the patients. ¡°Are Ran¡¯s prescriptions alright?¡± Some people looked at the prescription in their hands and asked doubtfully. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If anything happens, I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± After Doctor Wu vouched for her, the villagers were completely relieved and looked at Lin Ran eagerly. Doctor Wu ignored Lin Xue just like Lin Ran. Lin Xue could not help trying to get his attention. She looked at Doctor Wu and pretended to be doing this for his own good. She said, ¡°Doctor Wu, do you really want to take her as your disciple? I think you should consider it again, lest you be deceived by her. We know exactly what she¡¯s like. Although she can recognize a few words, I¡¯ve never heard of her reading medical books.¡± When Lin Ran heard this, she knew Lin Xue did not like it that Doctor Wu had taken her as a disciple. She could not help but say coldly, ¡°You¡¯ve only known me for a few days. How do you know that I haven¡¯t read any medical books?¡± ¡°Of course, I know. If you¡¯ve read medical books and know medicine, why didn¡¯t you treat my uncle and aunt when they were in trouble?¡± The moment she finished her sentence, someone interrupted and said to Lin Xue, ¡°How could you bring this up? Your uncle and aunt were out of town when this happened to them. Lin Ran was also injured. How could she do anything?¡± Lin Ran smiled at Auntie Liu, who was speaking up for her and choked. ¡°Auntie Liu is right. I fainted too. When I woke up, my parents had already passed away. Every time I think of this, I feel very sad. If I hadn¡¯t fainted back then, could I have saved them? It¡¯s all my fault for being useless. Why did I faint of all times?¡± Chapter 38 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations As she spoke, Lin Ran started crying. She knew that this was the host¡¯s emotions and she could not let it go. The host had always regretted not saving her parents. She often wondered if her parents might have survived if she had not fainted at the time. This was also the reason why she had not returned since she went to Lin Yuan¡¯s house. She was afraid of being reminded of her parents¡¯ death and might do something to herself. The moment she found out that her parents had passed away, she was determined to die. She later felt that she would be letting them down if she died. That was why she survived. Seeing Lin Ran¡¯s true feelings, everyone felt sorry for her. Auntie Liu went forward and hugged her. ¡°Ran, don¡¯t cry. Although you don¡¯t have parents, you still have us. We¡¯re all your parents. If ever you need us, just tell us. We¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Ran. Auntie Liu is right. If you need anything in the future, just look for us.¡± After comforting Lin Ran, the villagers targeted Lin Xue again and said in disdain, ¡°Lin Xue, you¡¯re too much. How can you bring this up to hurt Lin Ran? She¡¯s already pitiful enough after losing her parents. As her cousin, not only do you not care about her, but you also sprinkled salt on her wound. You¡¯re too much.¡± Then they said to Yu Niang, ¡°Yu Niang, you too. No matter what, Ran is still your niece. How can you watch Xue bully her?¡± Lin Xue and Yu Niang were furious when they heard everyone¡¯s accusations. However, Lin Ran was crying so badly. Coupled with the fact that they were the ones who started it, they were unreasonable through and through. Seeing Lin Ran crying, Doctor Wu was angry. He said to Yu Niang and Lin Xue, ¡°Don¡¯t look for me to treat your illnesses in the future.¡± Hearing this, Yu Niang immediately panicked. She knew Doctor Wu¡¯s medical skills were good. If he refused to examine her in the future, then she was in big trouble. She immediately said, ¡°Doctor Wu, don¡¯t say that. We were wrong. We¡¯ll apologize to Ran.¡± ¡°Mother, what did we do wrong?¡± Lin Xue continued, making Doctor Wu¡¯s face darken. Yu Niang glared at her and said, ¡°Shut up and apologize to Ran.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. Why should I apologize?¡± Lin Xue did not listen to Yu Niang at all as she ran away. Since her daughter was disobedient, Yu Niang could only apologize to Lin Ran herself. However, Lin Ran did not accept her apology. Yu Niang did not mean it. If Doctor Wu did not refuse to give her treatment, Yu Niang would never have apologized. Yu Niang did not care if Lin Ran accepted the apology or not. After apologizing, she went after her daughter, completely forgetting they were there to treat Lin Xue¡¯s teeth. Yesterday, Lin Xue knocked off her front teeth, so she had trouble speaking properly. Moreover, she was a girl, and looks mattered. It would be hard for her to find a suitable marriage for Lin Xue without her front teeth. Otherwise, she would not have brought her daughter over for the free consultation. However, her daughter was a disappointment and refused to cooperate. It was a great opportunity, but they lost it thanks to Lin Xue. Yu Niang was both angry and frustrated. Of course, she was angry with Lin Ran mostly. She felt Lin Ran did not give her any face at all and caused so much trouble even though she was her aunt. Not only did she fail to treat her daughter¡¯s teeth, but Lin Ran also embarrassed her. Chapter 39 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lin Ran did not care what Yu Niang and Lin Xue thought. She quickly stopped crying and said to everyone, ¡°Thank you for today. When I earn money, I¡¯ll treat everyone to delicious food.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯re all waiting. You have to learn medicine from Doctor Wu and earn more money.¡± ¡°I will.¡± The villagers chatted with Lin Ran for a while and quickly dispersed, leaving only Lin Ran and Doctor Wu in the compound. Doctor Wu looked at Lin Ran¡¯s courtyard and thought of how she lived alone. He suggested, ¡°Ran, since I¡¯m now your master, why don¡¯t you move to town and live with us?¡± ¡°No, Master. I¡¯m fine living at home.¡± Lin Ran rejected Doctor Wu¡¯s suggestion. She had a secret and did not want others to know, so the best way was to reduce contact with others. Seeing Lin Ran was unwilling to move in with him, Doctor Wu did not insist. He said a few words and prepared to return to town. When Lin Ran saw Doctor Wu was about to leave, she immediately went into the house and took out the rabbit that Uncle Wang had given her yesterday. She said, ¡°Master, this rabbit was given to me by someone else. Take it back and eat it.¡± ¡°No need. Save it for yourself.¡± Doctor Wu waved his hand and did not take it. He knew that Lin Ran¡¯s life was not easy, so he felt especially sorry for her and even wished he could have taken in this disciple sooner. ¡°How about this? Master, don¡¯t leave yet. I¡¯ll cook this rabbit for lunch.¡± Doctor Wu thought for a moment and finally agreed. Hence, Lin Ran did not delay and went straight into the kitchen. She took out a knife and quickly prepared the rabbit. The shop assistant wanted to help, but when he realized that Lin Ran was good at cooking and did not need his help at all, he squatted at the side and watched. Lin Ran was very fast. Before the shop assistant could see clearly, she had dealt with the rabbit and carried it into the kitchen. When the shop assistant snapped out of his thoughts, he glanced at the kitchen before turning around and entering the house. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look so defeated.¡± Doctor Wu was drinking tea when he saw the shop assistant enter. The shop assistant looked like he was doubting his life and could not help but ask. ¡°Doctor Wu, I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it? Tell me.¡± ¡°Doctor Wu, do you think there are really geniuses in this world?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I saw Ran handling the rabbit just now. To be honest, she¡¯s more proficient than me. Moreover, she gives off an indescribable feeling, as if she¡¯s handled it a thousand times.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Really. I kid you not.¡± The shop assistant thought of Lin Ran¡¯s actions just now and could not help but think about it. If she were handling human anatomy, would she be equally proficient? At the thought of this, he had goosebumps all over his body. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think too much about it. Some people tend to be more talented in a certain field, and Ran¡¯s talent is medical skills. She was born to do this.¡± Hearing Doctor Wu¡¯s words, the shop assistant did not say anything else. Instead, he turned around and went to the kitchen to see if Lin Ran needed help. Seeing the shop assistant had returned, Lin Ran asked him to start the fire. Lin Ran was very fast. It only took her an hour to cook the rice and prepare the dishes. After asking Doctor Wu if he could eat spicy food, she added spices to the dish. Doctor Wu and the shop assistant took a bite. It was very delicious, even better than what they had eaten in the restaurant. As the two of them ate, they praised Lin Ran¡¯s culinary skills, making Lin Ran feel embarrassed. After the meal, not a single piece of rabbit was left. The other two vegetable dishes were also wiped out. Lin Ran was very satisfied and cleared the table with a smile. Chapter 40 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Doctor Wu did not stay long and took the carriage back to town after dinner. From the next day onwards, Lin Ran went to town early in the morning to learn medicine from Doctor Wu, and in the afternoon, she went up the mountain to pick herbs. Everyone in the village knew Lin Ran was Doctor Wu¡¯s disciple. Occasionally, when they had a headache or fever, they would come to Lin Ran for treatment and get some medicine. Lin Ran was very laid back. No matter the patient, she would treat them without charging them much. As a result, everyone liked Lin Ran more and more, and her reputation improved. Her good reputation even spread to the neighboring village. A few days later, an old lady came to Lin Ran¡¯s house and asked her to make a house call. She said that her daughter-in-law was going to have a child. The midwife said that it was dangerous and asked them to invite a physician to help. When women gave birth, it was tricky with a male doctor. Since the old lady heard Lin Ran was Doctor Wu¡¯s disciple, she came to look for her. Firstly, she felt that since she was Doctor Wu¡¯s disciple, her medical skills were probably decent. Secondly, she was a woman. If her daughter-in-law really had a difficult delivery, she could go into the delivery room to take a look. Li Ran agreed without hesitation when she heard it was a potentially difficult childbirth. Before she left, she avoided the old lady and went into the metaphysical medical hall. She took out some things that she felt she needed and placed them in the medical kit. After preparing the things, she carried the medical kit and followed the old lady to the neighboring village. In the neighboring village, Lin Ran had come once to treat Ma Erzhu. Today, the old lady who invited her lived not far from the Ma family. When she went past the Ma residence, Ma Erzhu even greeted Lin Ran enthusiastically and said to the old lady, ¡°Auntie, Lin Ran¡¯s medical skills are good. I¡¯m sure your daughter-in-law is in good hands.¡± Lin Ran smiled at Ma Erzhu and followed the old lady into the house. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard the cries of a pregnant woman. Her expression changed, and she quickened her pace and entered the room. ¡°How¡¯s the pregnant woman?¡± Lin Ran asked as soon as she entered the room. The midwife was observing the pregnant woman when she suddenly saw a young lady enter. She immediately said, ¡°Where did this young lady come from? Get out. You shouldn¡¯t come in.¡± The old lady followed behind Lin Ran. When she heard the midwife¡¯s words, she immediately said, ¡°Midwife Zhang, she¡¯s the doctor I invited.¡± ¡°What doctor?¡± Midwife Zhang glanced at Lin Ran again and said to the old lady, ¡°Old Madam Yang, are you being deceived? She¡¯s a young lady.¡± ¡°I know. She¡¯s Doctor Wu¡¯s disciple. I heard that her medical skills are not bad. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Midwife Zhang looked at Lin Ran and wanted to say something, but at this moment, the pregnant woman cried out again. She had no time and went to check on the pregnant woman. Lin Ran did not stay idle either. She put the medical kit aside and took the pregnant woman¡¯s pulse first, then looked at her stomach. The pregnant woman¡¯s stomach looked bigger than normal, and the fetus was probably rather large. No wonder the midwife was worried and asked Old Madam Yang to call a doctor. Fortunately, she had done this before, so she did not panic. If it really did not work out, she could just perform a C-section on the pregnant woman. With this thought in mind, Lin Ran turned around and instructed Old Madam Yang, ¡°Granny, it seems that your daughter-in-law won¡¯t give birth so soon. Cook a bowl of noodles for her to replenish her strength so that she¡¯ll have the energy to give birth later.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go now.¡± Old Madam Yang turned around and went to cook the noodles. Lin Ran said to Midwife Zhang, ¡°You can focus on delivering the baby later. I¡¯ll take care of the rest. Don¡¯t worry. Wth me around, nothing will happen to them.¡±