"Did you hear me?" Mother Luo placed her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at Tao Lengshuang. "Heaven is displeased and punishing you. Why did you hit my Luo Yang? Are you even human?"
"If I'm not human, then what are you?" Tao Lengshuang retorted with a cold sneer.
Mother Luo was momentarily stunned, then pointed at her furiously. "Tao Lengshuang, you've committed many wicked deeds in the village. Now, get out of Shilipo Village!"
Tao Lengshuang curved her lips and calmly asked, "Excuse me, are you the village chief?"
Mother Luo held her head high and proudly replied, "I am the village chief's wife."
Tao Lengshuang feigned realization with an "Oh," and said, "So, in this village, the village chief's wife can represent the village chief and drive villagers out."
She then continued with a hint of confusion, "But I thought I heard that even the village chief doesn't have the right to arbitrarily expel anyone from the village?"
Mother Luo, due to her looks and a good marriage, had always had things her way since childhood and was always doted upon. She had never suffered such humiliation.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'll go gather the villagers now and have you driven out of the village."
"I'll be waiting," Tao Lengshuang replied.
Just as Tao Lengshuang finished speaking, she heard the panicked, tearful voice of Aunt Shen Er.
"The Mo family, the Mo family, please save my grandson!"
Aunt Shen Er, her steps unsteady, ran over and clutched Tao Lengshuang's hand as if it were her last hope. "Please, quickly save my grandson! He's vomiting and having diarrhea, and it won't stop!"
Upon hearing this, Tao Lengshuang knew something was amiss. She immediately locked her door, took Xiao Feng, and rushed to the Shen family with Aunt Shen Er.
"Aunt Shen Er, what did you feed your grandson?"
She suspected that Liu Shi had not relayed her instructions to Aunt Shen Er.
Aunt Shen Er was wiping away tears, her voice trembling with panic. "I, I picked some herbs on the mountain to dispel the cold and boiled them for Zhu Zi to drink."
The villagers, seeing the commotion, all followed, eager to see what was happening.
Tao Lengshuang did not know which herb Aunt Shen Er had given Zhu Zi, so she asked if there was any left.
She needed to identify the herb to administer the correct treatment.
Each herb had different effects, and using the wrong one could lead to dire consequences.
Upon arriving at the Shen family's house, she saw Liu Shi already waiting by the main entrance.
As soon as Liu Shi saw Tao Lengshuang, she knelt down with a thud and repeatedly kowtowed, begging, "Mo family, I implore you, please save my son."
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have disbelieved you; I shouldn't have failed to pass on your words to my mother-in-law."
She had thought Tao Lengshuang was talking nonsense and hadn't taken it to heart. It was only after her mother-in-law gave Zhu Zi the medicine and he started vomiting and having diarrhea that she remembered Tao Lengshuang's warning and quickly told her mother-in-law.
Tao Lengshuang helped Liu Shi up, ignored the curious glances of the villagers, and stepped into Zhu Zi's room.
Both of the Shen family's men were present: one a simple, inarticulate farmer, and the other a somewhat dull-witted farmer.
Father and son pleaded with Tao Lengshuang, both hoping she could save Zhu Zi.
Tao Lengshuang sat on the bed and examined Zhu Zi's condition.
Zhu Zi's body was burning hot, and he was constantly twitching. Uncleaned vomit lay on the floor, and a foul odor filled the room.
"Aunt Shen Er, where are the herbs Zhu Zi ate?"
When Tao Lengshuang asked, Aunt Shen Er quickly brought the herbs. "It's this one, this is the herb."
"Burdock root," Tao Lengshuang said. Upon seeing the burdock root, she already had a treatment plan. "Zhu Zi doesn't have a fever or cold; it's caused by eating something bad. Remind the child in the future not to eat things randomly."
She intended to write a prescription but remembered that Aunt Shen Er and the others were illiterate, and the family's financial situation was not good.
"Aunt Shen Er, come with me to the mountain to gather some herbs to treat Zhu Zi."
She paused and then added, "Do you have any needles at home? Give me a few more, and a candle."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Aunt Shen Er quickly brought all the needles in the house and a candle.
Tao Lengshuang sterilized the needles over the candlelight before beginning to acupuncture Zhu Zi. She thought to herself that she needed to buy a set of silver needles in town another day.
Aunt Shen Er's family watched intently, and even Xiao Feng looked on with curiosity.
They clearly saw that as Tao Lengshuang applied the needles, Zhu Zi stopped twitching and no longer vomited or had diarrhea. Although his face was still pale and he hadn't woken up, his condition was much better than before. This gave Aunt Shen Er's family hope and made them believe in Tao Lengshuang even more.
After finishing the acupuncture, Tao Lengshuang gave instructions and asked Liu Shi and the others to help look after Xiao Feng. Then, she and Aunt Shen Er hurried towards the mountain.
Seeing this, many of the villagers outside followed, wanting to see if Tao Lengshuang truly possessed such skills or if she was merely putting on a show.
Tao Lengshuang paid them no mind. She reminded Aunt Shen Er not to use herbs carelessly while searching for the medicinal ingredients she needed. Fortunately, the herbs she required were the most common ones. After some effort in the mountains, they finally gathered all the necessary herbs, and the two women quickly returned to the Shen family's house.
Liu Shi was waiting at the main entrance. Upon seeing Tao Lengshuang return, she quickly welcomed her into the house. Tao Lengshuang handed the herbs to Liu Shi, instructed her on how to boil them, and then had her go prepare the medicine. Afterward, she took Zhu Zi's pulse.
"After the child wakes up, feed him bland food for now, like porridge. Be sure not to give him fish or meat." She explained, "The child has vomited so much that his spleen and stomach have been injured. If he eats rich foods again, it will be detrimental to him. He needs to drink light porridge to nourish his stomach."
The Shen family now treated Tao Lengshuang's words as decrees. Upon hearing this, they repeatedly agreed.
"Mo family, will my grandson have any after-effects?" Aunt Shen Er asked with some worry.
Tao Lengshuang reassured her, "Take good care of him and don't let the child eat anything randomly again in the future."
"Some things are harmless to adults but harmful to children. Children are still growing, and their bodies are much weaker than adults in all aspects."
Aunt Shen Er was both fearful and angry. "Although our family's life isn't easy, we've never lacked food for this child. How could he be so gluttonous as to eat things he shouldn't?"
"If something had happened to him, what would we, his family, do?" She only had this one grandson.
Tao Lengshuang didn't dwell on the matter. Children in the village were often hungry, and being young, they couldn't resist seeing certain things. Even children in modern times were like that.
After the medicine was brewed, Liu Shi, under Tao Lengshuang's guidance, administered it to Zhu Zi. Perhaps it was the medicine's effect, but shortly after, Zhu Zi's complexion became a little more ruddy, his spirits seemed much better, and even his breathing stabilized.
"It's okay, it's okay, he's really better!" Aunt Shen Er was overjoyed and thanked Tao Lengshuang repeatedly, even offering her money. Tao Lengshuang refused, "Aunt Shen Er, you've helped me so many times. It wouldn't be right for me to ask for money this time."
"However, I'd like to ask you to watch Xiao Feng for me again. I need to go to the Tao family to get some things, and it's inconvenient to bring him along."