Qin Sen did not retort; he had indeed seen his sisters-in-law making money.
He wanted to get better, to no longer be a useless person. His nephew and nieces were already of marriageable age, and the family's primary concern was his illness.
Seeing her youngest son silent, Grandma Qin's temper flared even more. She not only kicked the air but also threw punches. It was only then that Dr. Sheng and his group finally reacted.
Sheng Yining helped Qin Junyao restrain Grandma Qin, while Sheng Huaijin went to support Qin Sen. Dr. Sheng loudly called out to Grandma Qin, "Madam Qin, listen to this old man say something."
"Old Madam Qin."
"Speak," Grandma Qin was pushed and then pressed into a chair by Sheng Yining. The young girl was truly strong.
"That prescription is not entirely useless. It can alleviate some of the pain, it's just that young friend Qin has not felt much benefit in recent years."
Grandma Qin was somewhat incredulous, "Are you telling the truth?"
"Indeed."
.
After seeing off the three members of the Qin family, Sheng Yining asked Dr. Sheng, "Grandpa, is that prescription really effective?"
Dr. Sheng stroked his beard and lectured his two grandchildren, "The best physicians treat the heart, the average physicians treat the person, and the worst physicians treat the disease. A completely ineffective prescription would only create estrangement among their family members."
"But, if the prescription is useless, isn't it a waste of money?" Sheng Yining didn't quite understand.
"If they have enough money, they will naturally come to me for treatment. If they don't have enough, that prescription can still bring them peace of mind."
"Yining, Huaijin, actions must have a reason, and people must have hope to live."
"Let's go inside. You two write down the pulse diagnoses you just took and let me see..."
Qin Junyao and Qin Sen stood at the entrance of the grain store, watching Grandma Qin bargain with the shop owner. Grandma Qin was particularly fierce in her haggling today.
"Third Uncle, have you ever thought about studying and pursuing a scholarly career?" Qin Junyao broke the silence that had stretched from the Qubingtang to their current location.
The characters she taught Qin Sen, Qin Father, and San Niu daily had increased from one to five, and these were not even Qin Sen's limits.
Qin Sen looked at Grandma Qin's deeply wrinkled face inside the shop and sighed softly, "I dare not even think about it."
"Then, if your illness is cured, what do you want to do?"
"Learn a trade, so I don't have to rely on my family for food."
Qin Junyao looked at her uncle, who was only eighteen years old, and pondered what kind of trade he could learn now.
Grandma Qin bought grain with the money from selling the Cistanche deserticola, not limiting herself to one type. Sorghum flour, bean flour, anything edible, she bought it all.
The lamb for Mother Qin's stall tomorrow and the stones for making the pebble steamed buns were bought later by Qin Junyao, as Grandma Qin had left no money behind.
As they neared home, Grandma Qin warned Qin Junyao and the other not to mention their visit to Qubingtang to the family, only to say how much money they got from selling the Cistanche deserticola.
Today, the Qin and Hou families were quite lively. The potatoes bought yesterday were being transported by the cartload to both houses, and some villagers who came to watch the excitement even helped move the potatoes to the cellars of the two families.
With the autumn harvest nearing its end and winter wheat sown, there were more people moving around the village.
"How strange, buying so many potatoes, are they planning to eat them until next year's New Year?"
"Who cares, as long as they pay the copper coins. I sold a lot of my potatoes, so I can get a new coat for my son this year."
"You're so generous. But who in our village told them to open up wasteland around here? The wind and sand next spring will wash away the water."
"What's it to you? They can buy water to irrigate. Look how well their wheat is growing, maybe it will be even better next year."
"Stop talking. That old lady with the red headscarf on the donkey cart is from that Qin family."
"What are you afraid of? She can't hear you..."
She could hear.
Qin Junyao, sitting on the donkey cart, heard the conversation of the two women clearly.
Before they started cultivating the wasteland, Qin Father and the others had inquired. The villagers' land was further away, and if farm work was urgent, they would have to stay in the fields and could not return.
Both the Qin and Hou families had labor for salt collection, so they were short of hands.
If the land was far away, those left at home could not help if something happened. Therefore, they decided to cultivate the nearby wasteland.
Qin Junyao was grateful for the spatial well water; otherwise, they might have had no harvest next year. But she didn't know that this spatial water almost brought them great trouble.
It took the two families half a day to store all the potatoes they bought in the cellars. In the afternoon, Mother Qin and Aunt Qin the Second made pebble steamed buns at home, while others went to cultivate the land in preparation for next spring.
In the cultivated land, Grandma Qin told Old Master Qin about the Cistanche deserticola, and Qin Junyao also mentioned where it grew.
However, she advised against rashly going into the desert to search for it, as it was easy to get lost there.
.
The chaotic and busy day finally ended. Lying on the kang, Qin Junyao didn't even know how the day had passed.
Her consciousness sank into the spatial realm. Qin Junyao touched the zither, missing everything from her modern life, missing her grandfather.
In this unfamiliar time and space, only this zither was the only thing that connected her to the modern world, and the only object she could confide in.
That day, she did not work in the spatial realm. Holding the zither, she lay on the ground of the thatched cottage and fell asleep.
.
Time slowly passed as the temperature dropped. Half a month later, the desolation in the Qin and Hou families' area was broken by new residents moving into their empty houses.
The soldiers who had been sent to pick up people began to return, and their families moved in.
Every day was as lively as a market fair, with salt guards patrolling, villagers watching the excitement, and children running around wildly between the mountains.
The thresholds of the Qin and Hou families were almost worn down, with people constantly coming to inquire about village life.
This made it very inconvenient for Mother Qin and the others to prepare food at home. However, Mother Qin and Aunt Qin the Second didn't mind at all; their home had never been so lively.
Every time Mother Qin warmly entertained guests, Grandma Qin would scoff. Weren't there so many other families in the village to inquire from? They all wanted to know their relationship with Zhao Liangcai.
Not wanting to stay at home, Grandma Qin wandered around the village, visiting every corner, even knowing which haystacks were places where a man and a woman often met.
However, her favorite place to go was Zhao Liangcai's house, to see Qian Shi get flustered.
A few days after Qian Shi and her three companions returned from buying servants in Xibei City, many women came to visit.
Seeing the looks of Qian Duo and Zhao Rui, they were even more impressed. Matchmakers lined up, and there were also proposals for Qian Shi.
A person like Qian Shi would greet even a beggar with a smile when encountering outsiders, thus establishing her persona as kind and friendly to the utmost.
"Grandma Qin, you're here again," said Fuzi at the main entrance, seeing Grandma Qin.
"You child, what do you mean 'I'm here again'? Why aren't you coming into the courtyard?"
Fuzi, like a little adult, put his hands behind his back, looked up at Grandma Qin, and asked, "Grandma Qin, you said my brother isn't home, so am I the only adult male in the family making decisions?"
"Of course."
"Then if someone wants to marry my mother as my father, shouldn't I agree?"
Grandma Qin's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "Absolutely! You are your mother's son. Only if you agree can your mother marry."
"But my mother won't let me in," Fuzi said with a hint of grievance. He just wanted to eavesdrop by the door, so why did she make him stay outside the courtyard?
Grandma Qin smiled broadly, "Come, come, Grandma Qin will take you in."