Chapter 361 Only One Medicinal Herb Left
Chen Tangtang was troubled. She didn't feel like she had helped Aunt Xia much, so should she accept it?
Chen Tangtang looked at her elder brother, but as Chen Tonghua was about to shake his head at his little sister, he noticed Ouyang staring at him, making him feel as if Ouyang was glaring at him.
Ye Shenges suppressed a smile as she watched the three of them in a stalemate. Should she break the deadlock?
"Shenges, help me."
Chen Tangtang quietly retreated to Ye Shenges's side and whispered this without even moving her lips.
"Why don't you accept it for now? You can buy some back later and return it?"
Reciprocity strengthens relationships. Ye Shenges was clearly siding with Ouyang.
Ouyang, still smiling, held the bag and patiently awaited Chen Tangtang's decision.
"Then, then thank you. Remember to come for dinner tomorrow."
Although Ouyang appeared calm, he visibly relaxed when the gift was accepted.
"Okay, I'll help you clean up first. You can see if the things I sent are useful."
Chen Tangtang quickly pulled Ye Shenges into the house and let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were inside.
"Shenges, what's going on with this Ouyang? Why did he send things? Does he have too much money?"
Ye Shenges almost burst out laughing, but she held back to avoid ruining Ouyang's pursuit plan.
"Perhaps Ouyang just wants to thank you."
"But I haven't done anything for Aunt Xia."
"Actually, companionship is also a form of help. Why don't you see what he sent first?"
Chen Tangtang was also curious; this was the first time she had received a gift.
"Wow, there's food, meat, and pastries. This is a generous gift."
Ye Shenges didn't see it that way, but she still needed to offer some guidance.
"Aren't you hosting a meal tomorrow? Ouyang might be worried that you don't have enough supplies. He's quite thoughtful."
Chen Tangtang's thoughts turned to the supplies her elder brother had bought. Fortunately, they weren't inviting all the Bai family members and Ye family members. Otherwise, even if she and her elder brother ate until they were bankrupt, it wouldn't be enough.
"My elder brother didn't buy much meat. I was worried that the meal tomorrow wouldn't be good. Now I have ingredients."
Ye Shenges smiled and nodded. It was rare to find someone as oblivious as Tangtang among people their age.
"Then you should thank Ouyang properly later, as he has solved your urgent problem."
"Mhm, I'll think about how to repay him."
Ouyang was very diligent at the Chen family's house, even cleaning the corners. Chen Tonghua followed suit, unable to rest even though he should have.
When Chen Tangtang came out and saw this, she felt even more embarrassed. She quickly grabbed the broom from Ouyang's hand.
"Ouyang, Brother Ouyang, please don't do this. Don't trouble yourself with chores at my house."
"Why?"
Ouyang deliberately didn't let go of the broom, listening to the chubby girl's nonsensical excuses.
"Why? Because this is my house, and you are a guest. Guests don't do chores."
After speaking, Chen Tangtang triumphantly raised an eyebrow at Ye Shenges, showing how well-behaved she was.
"From now on, you don't have to be so polite with me. Like Shenges, I consider you a friend."
"Uh, is that so?"
"Don't you consider me a friend? After all, in Qishi, I let you order whatever you wanted at the state-run restaurant."
Chen Tangtang felt awkward. She had indeed ordered a lot of dishes then. It seemed Ouyang didn't consider her an outsider.
"Yes, we must be friends. From now on, I'll have more people to back me up."
"Yes, with me backing you, no one will dare to bully you."
Ye Shenges felt like putting her hand on her forehead. She suspected Ouyang would win Tangtang over soon.
Ye Shenges felt that she and Chen Tonghua were somewhat superfluous in the house.
"Tangtang, I'm a bit tired. Why don't I go back and rest for a while? Ouyang is here, so he can play his part as a friend."
With that, Ye Shenges gave Chen Tonghua a look. Chen Tonghua was reluctant to leave, but he also wanted to ask Ye Shenges for her opinion on the matter. He had to resolve the important issue first, or he wouldn't be at peace.
Ouyang was overjoyed to see the two of them leave and planned to thank Ye Shenges properly later for being such a great helper.
"You should rest too. I'll take care of the rest."
Chen Tangtang suddenly felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward. She felt some pressure being alone with Ouyang.
"No, no, you rest. I'll do it myself."
Ye Shenges took Chen Tonghua back home. Mother Ye was also there and joined in after hearing about the situation.
"Shenges, I just want to know if Ouyang is reliable. He might have been excellent in his previous job, but I don't know how he is in relationships."
Ye Shenges had already considered this and had also asked Zi Yisheng.
"From what I know, Ouyang has never had a girlfriend, nor a crush. He's always been indifferent to women. In my opinion, a man who was previously uninterested in women either has psychological issues or is genuinely too busy.
Ouyang probably falls into the latter category. He is also very serious about everything he does, so I imagine he would be the same in relationships. If he enjoyed playing the field, he would have met many women given his previous status. The fact that he has remained chaste indicates he has principles."
"Yes, Xiao Chen, you've also met Ouyang's family. They are all scholars and honest people, so they wouldn't do anything beastly."
Mother Ye had always thought highly of Ouyang. He was an excellent secretary and an outstanding man.
Chen Tonghua was finally at ease. If his younger sister and Ouyang were fated to be together, they would surely have a happy life.
"Then I'm relieved. It's up to them to get along from now on."
The Chen family was open-minded and had loving parents who doted on their children. They were not a family that would sell their daughters, so they only wished for their children's happiness.
If Chen Tangtang chose Ouyang, her parents would not object even if she married into a rural family.
That night, Min Hang arrived at the Ye family's house in a hurry with several boxes. Everyone came out, especially Qi Xuan, who was trembling with anticipation.
"Come inside and talk."
Everyone gathered in Qi Luquan's room. It was getting colder, so Qi Luquan rarely went out and spent his days resting in bed.
Moreover, Elder Fan and Elder Dang had been using medicinal herbs to nourish his body, so he couldn't go out and get cold.
Min Hang smiled and placed the boxes on the table. In the past few days, he had been in the city contacting his connections to find all the medicinal herbs.
"I've obtained nine out of the ten medicinal herbs, and I've prepared two of each in case of emergencies. As for the last two, I've heard news of one and have sent someone to look for it. I heard that the Baili family used to have some, but now the Baili family has vanished, so I have nowhere to ask."
Qi Xuan's excitement was extinguished by Min Hang's last sentence. Without even one herb, the poison couldn't be cured, and Grandpa would still die.
"How could this happen? Doesn't anyone know the whereabouts of the Baili family?"
Ye Shenges sighed inwardly. The Baili family was handed over to the authorities by Zi Yisheng. Only Zi Yisheng knew their current situation.
Elder Fan, who had been studying the medicinal herbs, finally spoke.
"Don't worry yet. With these herbs, we can extend Old Qi's life. Fortunately, Min Hang brought two of each. We can use one set to detoxify him partially. Although it won't completely clear the poison, it will have some effect."
"Yes, more time means we can always find a solution. After all, if it existed once, it can be found again. Our priority now is to buy Old Qi as much time as possible."
Qi Xuan wanted to seize any glimmer of hope. She was now very glad she had come here. She understood that these people were capable. Otherwise, even with all her money, she wouldn't have been able to find even two herbs without connections.
"Thank you, thank you all for your help, thank you for your efforts to save my grandfather's life. I, Qi Xuan, will remember this forever!"
Qi Xuan bowed to everyone present, tears streaming down her face. This was all she could do now.
"Alright, you're becoming more polite by the day. You stay home and look after your grandfather. We'll handle the rest."
Dad Ye couldn't bear to see children cry. In his past life, when his precious daughter cried secretly at night, he would stand outside the door and accompany her all night. He really didn't want to see anyone in his family cry.
Qi Luquan watched his granddaughter with a smile. The child had finally grown up. He could rest in peace even if he died now.
"Xuanxuan, bring out the box."
Qi Xuan remembered what Grandpa had instructed and quickly wiped away her tears, pulling a box from under the bed.
"These are what Grandpa prepared. Half are for Comrade Min Hang as payment for the herbs and his hard work. The other half, please help us inquire about the remaining medicinal herb."
Qi Luquan had anticipated that some herbs might be hard to find, but he hadn't expected only one would be missing. He had prepared this gold in advance to ask Old Ye to use other connections and see if there was any other hope. Who wouldn't want to live?
Qi Xuan opened the box. Inside, there were neatly arranged about a hundred gold bars, all of them large yellow croakers.
Min Hang's mouth widened. Fifty of them! He had made a fortune this time.
"It doesn't have to be this much."
Ye Shenges found Min Hang's uncontrollable expression unbearable and turned away, covering half her face.
Zi Yisheng playfully tapped the little girl's head. Min Hang's greatest characteristic was his love for money, and he especially loved looking at his wealth.
"I know that finding medicinal herbs requires a lot of connections and money. This is not much. Comrade Min Hang, please accept it."
"Hehe, that's true. Inquiring has indeed cost a lot of connections. Uncle Qi, don't worry, I will continue to have people search for it."
Qi Luquan smiled, watching Min Hang's antics. He didn't mind people being greedy, especially Min Hang, who was openly greedy.
"Accept it, all of it. I've already troubled you all so much since coming here. This is my gratitude. Old Ye, you take the other half. Give it to whoever you think is appropriate later."
Dad Ye didn't refuse. If the last medicinal herb was indeed with the Baili family, it would require a lot of influence, which couldn't be achieved with just dozens of gold bars.
"Okay, I'll take it for now. We'll talk when there's definite news about the last medicinal herb."
Qi Luquan nodded at Dad Ye, realizing the situation was quite difficult.
After everyone had left the room, Qi Xuan couldn't hold back any longer and cried in her grandfather's arms.
"Grandpa, why is it so difficult? Why is heaven torturing you?"
Qi Luquan gently patted his granddaughter's back and sighed.
"Xuanxuan, don't you think Grandpa is already very lucky? If nothing had happened on Mount Wubing, we wouldn't have come to Bairong Township, nor would we have learned that I was poisoned.
Now there are so many people helping me find medicine. Even in Mi Province, Grandpa wouldn't have had this capability to seek help.
Xuanxuan, you need to face reality. We might be powerful beings on Mount Wubing, but outside, we are just ordinary people."
Qi Xuan sat up, her face no longer showing any defiance.
"I understand. I used to think I was the young lady of Mount Wubing. But after we were driven out, I thought I had the capital to be proud. But in reality, who knows me outside? Who knows about Mount Wubing? Who would care about a thief?
Before, I took the Ye family's kindness for granted. Now I understand. I am just an ordinary person. Compared to people like the Ye family, the Bai family, and the Zi family, I am nothing.
However, I don't want to compare. The Ye family is very good. They have been good to me from beginning to end. Before, I didn't cherish it, but now I do. From now on, I will only treat them as family."
"Hahaha, good, good! My Xuanxuan has truly grown up. Experiencing these things has truly helped you mature. Grandpa can rest assured even if he leaves."
"I forbid it! Grandpa, you can't leave me. I haven't truly grown up yet. Stay with me longer. Don't you want to see me get married and have children? When the time comes, I'll find someone and have a wedding with Shenges. Wouldn't that be lively?"
Qi Luquan imagined that moment. Yes, how lively it would be. He had to see his granddaughter get married and have children.
"Okay, Grandpa will hold on. We can just give away all the money if necessary, hoping heaven will give me more time."
Dad Ye, Ye Mu'en, went directly to Zi Yisheng's house. Ye Shenges could only be an audience.
"Did you hand over all the treasures confiscated from the Baili family?"
Dad Ye didn't believe that the cunning Zi Yisheng would be so generous.
"Of course not. I only kept half, and the rest was handed over."
"Were there any medicinal herbs among them?"
Zi Yisheng looked at Ye Shenges.
Ye Shenges was stunned for a moment and then understood, pointing at herself.
"You mean with me?"
"I gave you everything collected from the Baili family. I don't know what was inside."
"I haven't looked either. I just marked them and hid them."
Dad Ye was a little excited. They had already taken ninety-nine steps; they should try the last one.
"Xiao Ge'er, why don't you look? What if it happens to be with you?"
"Okay, I'll go now."
Saying that, Ye Shenges was about to go home. Zi Yisheng, however, showed no curiosity and continued to help his father-in-law solve the problem.
"If it's not with Shenges, do you know where the rest are?"
"They should all be stored in the national treasury. As for whether anyone took a cut along the way, it's hard to say."
Ye Mu'en had not voiced his opinion, but upon hearing that it had entered the national treasury, it was not something that could be accomplished by simply looking for someone. The problems to be faced would be too numerous, and the price to pay would be even greater.
"Dad, if it comes to the worst, what are you planning to do?"