The mixed grain rice and bean paste in the barrel were sold out, and the braised meat and gravy in the pot were gone too, leaving only a few vegetable leaves.
With everything sold out, Yu Jin and her sisters began to tidy up.
After they finished cleaning up and returned the token issued by the dock, Yu Li placed the two empty barrels and the basket containing bowls, chopsticks, and spoons into the large bamboo basket and picked it up.
“Let’s go,” she said to her three younger sisters.
Seeing her easily lift the bamboo basket, and knowing her strength, Yu Jin didn’t insist on carrying it herself. Instead, she and Yu Yin held the hand of their youngest sister, Yu Zhu, and the three sisters obediently followed behind their eldest sister.
At this time, the morning market hadn’t ended yet, and there were still many people on the street.
The three sisters stayed close to Yu Li, as if afraid of getting lost, instinctively relying on and trusting her.
After what had happened that day, Yu Jin felt a bit wary of the county town, worried that another “Steward Cui” might appear and try to capture them. However, Yu Yin and Yu Zhu were full of curiosity, eagerly observing the streets around the dock.
As they walked, Yu Li asked, “Are you hungry?”
Hearing this, Yu Jin immediately remembered how, a few days ago, her eldest sister had asked her the same question, then not only fed her to her fill but also packed food to take away.
She didn’t even dare to calculate how much money had been spent that day.
“We’re not hungry,” Yu Jin quickly replied. “Earlier, while there were no customers, we ate rice balls.”
Since they sold mixed grain rice balls, it was natural they wouldn’t buy food from others.
At the beginning, Yu Jin noticed that not many passersby came to inquire, and most who did would ask but not buy. Having never tried it before, they were worried it wouldn’t taste good.
Feeling a bit anxious, she made a rice ball for herself, and the three sisters stood there eating it, treating it as their breakfast while also showing it off to passersby to let them know what they were selling.
Because of this, a few people came over to buy some.
Hearing this, Yu Li said, “Alright then, I’ll take you to the restaurant for lunch.”
Since it was rare for all three younger sisters to come to the county town, she decided to treat them to something delicious. The only place that came to mind was the Fulai Restaurant.
Yes, she would take them there because she wanted to eat there too.
The three sisters widened their eyes. “…R-Restaurant?”
Was it the place they were imagining?
A restaurant must be the most upscale dining establishment in the county town. Country folk usually wouldn’t dare step into such a place, as it was said that a single meal there started at a tael of silver.
The three sisters wanted to say something, but since they were outside and surrounded by many people, they decided to keep silent and didn’t say a word.
Leaving the dock, Yu Li first took them to the Huichun Hall.
Besides selling rice balls in the county town today, they also needed to take Yu Zhu to the clinic to check her health and see if she still needed to continue taking medicine.
Huichun Hall wasn’t far from the dock, and after walking for about a quarter of an hour, they arrived.
Upon entering, they saw that the clinic was bustling with people buying medicine and lining up to see the doctor. It was a lively scene.
The sisters joined the queue, and after waiting for a while, it was finally their turn.
Yu Li brought her sisters forward.
Seeing Yu Li, Doctor Xu asked, “Are you here to get medicine? Have you finished Gentleman Fu’s prescription, or is it your tonic that’s run out? Let me take a look at you first.”
As he spoke, he gestured for Yu Li to extend her hand so he could check her pulse and see how her health had been improving.
Yu Li’s calm expression stiffened slightly. Even in her previous life as a powerful genetic warrior, she had always feared doctors.
With a tense face, she replied, “Neither of our medicines is finished yet, and I’m not here to get more.”
Both her health-regulating tonic and Fu Wenxiao’s medicine were still unfinished.
If not for Fu Wenxiao and Zhou Shi’s insistence that she strictly follow the doctor’s orders and continue taking medicine to regulate her body, she would have long stopped taking the tonic.
The thought of potentially needing to drink it for six months made her feel like life was far from pleasant.
Afraid that Doctor Xu might prescribe her more tonic on the spot, Yu Li quickly pushed Yu Zhu forward.
“Doctor Xu, please check my younger sister to see if her health has improved and whether she still needs to continue taking medicine.”
Doctor Xu looked at Yu Zhu and recognized her as the poor child who had hit her head last month.
At the time, he thought her injuries were so severe that she might never wake up again. He felt a pang of sorrow and sighed for her fate. Unexpectedly, two days later, she woke up—a true miracle.
Later, when he visited Qingshi Village, he confirmed that the child had pulled through and was no longer in danger. As long as she recuperated properly, she would recover fully. He felt this child was blessed, with a remarkably strong will to live.
Once Yu Zhu was seated, Doctor Xu checked her pulse.
Yu Jin and Yu Yin stared nervously at Doctor Xu.
After a while, Doctor Xu withdrew his hand and smiled. “This child’s recovery is quite good. There’s no major issue anymore. One more prescription to consolidate her health, and she won’t need to take medicine afterward.”
Doctor Xu had noticed how much Yu Li cared for her younger sisters, so he suggested an additional prescription to strengthen Yu Zhu’s health, which would be beneficial for her in the long run.
The second branch of the Yu family had previously suffered from poor nutrition, inadequate rest, and heavy labor, leaving everyone in poor health. In the eyes of any doctor, they all needed physical restoration.
Considering how much Yu Zhu had endured, Doctor Xu felt it was an opportunity to help her recover thoroughly.
Hearing this, Yu Li immediately said, “Doctor Xu, please prescribe the medicine.” Then, she pushed Yu Jin and Yu Yin forward as well. “Please check them too while we’re here.”
Since they were already at the clinic, everyone should get their pulse checked. If their health needed improvement, they could all take medicine together.
The two sisters: “…”
Yu Jin was about to refuse but was promptly pressed into a seat by her elder sister, who insisted she get her pulse checked.
After examining Yu Jin and Yu Yin, Doctor Xu told Yu Li that the two sisters’ health should also be restored. Otherwise, they would suffer when they were older.
Understanding that young girls could be shy and without any female elders present, he gently hinted that if their health wasn’t properly cared for, they might face severe difficulties during their menstruation. Furthermore, Yu Jin, already fourteen, showed no signs of reaching menarche, which was a serious concern.
Such situations were common among girls from impoverished families.
Most of them grew up with insufficient nutrition, leading to delayed development. Some rural girls didn’t reach menarche until they were eighteen or nineteen, and even then, it was irregular, causing them significant pain each time.
This severely impacted their overall health.
Doctor Xu understood that such cases were widespread in rural areas due to extreme poverty, leaving people with little choice.
In cases like this, Doctor Xu often kindly gave a few words of advice, but most people didn’t take it to heart or lacked the means to provide proper care for their daughters.
Countless girls suffered as a result.
Yu Jin and her sisters didn’t understand Doctor Xu’s words and looked bewildered.
At first, Yu Li didn’t catch on either. However, having lived for over twenty years in her previous life and taken physiology classes during training camp, she vaguely understood what he meant.
She decisively said, “Doctor Xu, please prescribe the medicine for them.”
Doctor Xu smiled. This young woman was indeed a caring elder sister who looked out for her siblings.
He knew that Yu Li worked in the county town and had likely saved some money. Every time she came to get medicine, her basket was always full of supplies.
Not lacking in funds, she naturally wouldn’t hesitate to provide for her sisters’ health.
If her circumstances had been impoverished, he wouldn’t have brought up such matters.
The clinic wasn’t a charity. Even with the desire to help, they couldn’t afford to assist everyone. There were too many impoverished people in the world, and the clinic had to follow its rules unless a life-threatening emergency required intervention.
Doctor Xu wrote prescriptions for Yu Jin and her two sisters. After instructing the apprentices to prepare the medicine, he turned to Yu Li and said, “Yu Niang, it’s your turn.”
Yu Li: “…”
In the end, Yu Li couldn’t avoid having her pulse checked by the doctor.
She extended her hand and sat stiffly.
As soon as Doctor Xu placed his fingers on her wrist, he made a curious sound, which immediately made Yu Jin and her sisters nervous.
After a moment, Doctor Xu withdrew his hand and smiled. “Yu Niang’s health has improved significantly. It seems your recent care has been effective.”
In truth, her recovery had been unusually quick.
He was aware of the ingredients in the tonic he prescribed. At Zhou Shi’s request, he had added a small amount of ginseng, which made the tonic more effective than usual. However, it shouldn’t have been this effective—enough to restore someone in such poor health to this level in a short time.
According to his expectations, it would take at least two to three months of medication to achieve substantial improvement.
Yet, it hadn’t even been a full month.
Yu Li maintained a calm expression, as if she had no idea what was going on.
Although puzzled, Doctor Xu didn’t pursue the matter.
For a doctor, a patient’s rapid recovery was a blessing. He could only hope that no one in the world would fall ill or need a doctor.
Doctor Xu smiled and said, “It looks like Yu Niang won’t need to take medicine for much longer.”
Yu Li was pleased to hear this. From what Doctor Xu said, if this trend continued, she might not need to take medicine anymore after two more months.
Reducing six months of treatment to three was a significant improvement.
When the apprentice brought over the prepared medicine packets, Yu Li paid for them and left the clinic with her three sisters.
As soon as they stepped out, Yu Jin’s face fell, and Yu Yin and Yu Zhu also looked anxious.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Yu Li looked at them in confusion.
Yu Jin hesitated before speaking. “Eldest sister, actually, we’re not sick. We don’t need to take medicine…”
The medicine was too expensive. When she saw her elder sister paying just now, her heart ached.
She had been happy about earning money today, but now she felt that the few dozen wen she had made were insignificant.
Yu Li finally understood—they were distressed about the money. She spoke sternly, “Money can always be earned again, but your body is your own. If your health fails one day, no amount of money can buy it back. When you’re bedridden with illness, you’ll realize that money means nothing compared to health.”
She went on to explain that nothing was more important than a healthy body. Only with good health could they earn more money in the future.
After this lecture, Yu Jin and her sisters felt overwhelmed, their heads spinning. They quietly lowered their heads and reluctantly accepted their elder sister’s reasoning.
Although they still felt that money was more important, they also understood that falling ill would cost even more.
Fine, they decided to listen to their eldest sister. At worst, they could earn money in the future and repay her.