It was different from when she had left.
No longer the cool morning breeze caressing her face.
But a dusk of pouring rain.
The sky was dark and oppressive. If not for a sliver of sky visible above the dark clouds, she might have thought it was nighttime.
Despite the heavy rain, she felt nothing.
She distinctly felt raindrops, the size of beans, falling from her.
She immediately understood what was happening.
It seemed her soul had returned.
A few steps later, she saw her parents and three elder brothers.
They stood by the lake, holding umbrellas, all gazing into the bottomless lake.
Silence reigned for a long time.
She walked over, approaching them, her eyes feeling a sharp sting.
She missed them so much.
"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother..."
But no matter how she called, they did not hear, nor did they notice her presence.
"I have a premonition, Xiao Jun is safe now," Yun Shu spoke first, her gaze soft as she looked at the lake.
Perhaps due to her own experiences, she possessed a strong intuition.
Zhan Tianye held Yun Shu's hand. He said nothing.
But Zhan Xiao Jun could see that her father also believed she was unharmed.
Her eyes reddened. When she had first returned here, she thought she was home. But seeing this situation now, she knew she couldn't simply return.
Perhaps she could only accompany her parents as a soul.
"I want Li Deyí's family's lives!" Zhan Xiao Li said coldly, his killing intent unabashed.
"Good, we'll go together!" Second Brother and Third Brother said in unison.
They would avenge Xiao Jun!
Their sister, whom they had cherished for over a decade, was ambushed by Li Deyí's grandsons. This wrong must be righted!
Li Deyí? Zhan Xiao Jun recalled the name.
From her three brothers, she had heard of Li Deyí. He had schemed against their parents years ago, separating them for a time. Of course, their parents had overcome all difficulties, and Li Deyí suffered greatly.
After more than ten years, Li Deyí had made a comeback, sending people to assassinate her first?
She turned to them and said, "I'm alright now, I'm really alright. You must all be careful."
She knew she couldn't stop them.
She also knew that unless Li Deyí was completely eliminated, their family would face constant assassination attempts.
Alas, no matter what she said now, they could not hear her.
Suddenly, it felt as if a pair of incredibly strong hands gripped her.
Pulling her towards another vortex.
She couldn't break free.
More voices reached her ears.
"Xiao Jun, Xiao Jun! You must not have anything happen to you!"
"Don't worry, she's fine. Her current unconsciousness is due to excessive blood loss. She'll recover with rest."
"Sister, don't worry. Xiao Jun will be alright."
"How could she attempt suicide out of the blue? It's all because of me, I implicated her!"
"It has nothing to do with you, Sister. It's all because of Zhan Zhijun. He's too insidious."
The conversations of the two people, along with the doctor's words, reached Zhan Xiao Jun's ears.
Zhan Xiao Jun wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy.
So heavy she couldn't open them.
She was back again?
As the thought arose, she fell asleep again.
When she woke again, it was dark.
She sat up and saw Lin Ya lying on another bed, sleeping soundly.
The patients in nearby beds conversed in low voices.
Seeing Zhan Xiao Jun awake, an aunt said to her, "Your mother fell asleep half an hour ago. As for your uncle, he went to work and will be back by midnight. Are you feeling alright now?"
"Thank you, I'm fine." Zhan Xiao Jun got out of bed, feeling noticeably energetic.
She glanced at the sleeping Lin Ya and, with concern, felt her pulse.
The situation was not optimistic.
She said to the aunt, "Auntie, if my mother wakes up, please tell her I'm going to get something to eat and will be back soon."
"Alright, don't worry."
Zhan Xiao Jun hurried out.
She had asked the Chinese medicine pharmacy that morning to make the herbs into pills according to her instructions. The pills should be ready by now.
Soon, she took a taxi to the Chinese medicine pharmacy.
The shop owner greeted her warmly upon her arrival, "Young lady, you're here. We just finished making the pills according to your specifications. Take a look and see if they meet your requirements."
"Okay."
The shop had no employees, only the owner.
When no customers were around, the owner would read an ancient medical book.
After hearing the young lady's request that morning, he was truly astonished.
The method of decocting the herbs, the boiling time, and the process of making them into pills were all meticulous, something even experienced traditional Chinese medicine practitioners couldn't achieve.
And after the pills were made, he was even more stunned.
They were hundreds of times better than what he had made before!
Zhan Xiao Jun looked at the pills and nodded in satisfaction, "You've done a very good job."
That they met her standards meant the owner had put in effort.
Praise made the owner a little embarrassed, "The young lady instructed us on how to do it. If I hadn't done it well, I wouldn't deserve to run this shop. Did you study under a remarkable TCM master? These herbs combined with the pill-making technique are something I've never seen before. Are they for treating liver diseases or something similar?"
"Indeed, I learned from a very remarkable divine physician," Zhan Xiao Jun admitted.
Her medical skills were learned from her mother and second brother, but unfortunately, she was still not as skilled as them.
However, with time, she was sure she could stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
"May I ask who your teacher is..."
"He lives in the countryside and no longer treats anyone. If you know anyone who wants to try TCM, you can contact me. I'll leave my number." Zhan Xiao Jun guessed the owner's intentions.
And she was also creating a channel for herself to earn money.
The owner nodded repeatedly, "You're truly clever, young lady!"
Although he couldn't get the young lady's teacher's contact information, having the young lady's contact was also good. People often came to his TCM clinic seeking a doctor. His own medical skills were limited, and while he could prescribe for minor ailments, he felt less confident about other conditions.
...
Inside the hospital.
Lin Ya, worried about Zhan Xiao Jun, woke up quickly. Seeing that Zhan Xiao Jun wasn't in bed, her face paled with anxiety.
"Xiao Jun!"
Seeing this, the aunt nearby kindly informed her, "Don't worry, your daughter is fine. She asked me to tell you that she went to have dinner and will be back soon. So please don't worry."
As the aunt finished speaking, Zhan Xiao Jun walked in.
"Mom, I bought you some congee. It's still warm and good to drink now."
Lin Ya gazed at Zhan Xiao Jun, as if she couldn't look enough. Her daughter had suffered so much during this time!
With tears in her eyes, she nodded repeatedly, "Good, good. Xiao Jun has grown up. It's so good, so good."
"Xiao Jun, the Ning family is indeed coming to settle scores with you. Hurry and come with me!" Lin Jing rushed in, panicked and out of breath.