Ji Youran was so furious that his thunderous shout made Xiaosuisui tremble, and she accidentally dropped the half radish in her hand directly into the Medicine Cauldron.
"My King Ginseng!" Ji Youran cried out in anguish. "It’s over, all over! Even if I failed today with a King Ginseng, I would still have chances to gather all the necessary medicinal herbs, whether it takes three years, five years, or eight years... I would still maintain the confidence to heal my elder brother. But now... it’s all gone... Everything is gone."
Ji Youran collapsed onto his knees on the spot, visibly shocked and utterly defeated.
The words made Wang Dongxue and Old Madame Ji feel a chill pierce their hearts. Tears trickled down the faces of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Seeing Ji Youran in such a state, Xiaosuisui was at a loss. She stood up in a panic.
"Second Uncle, didn’t you say you were going to concoct medicine?"
Ji Youran sobbed, his heart chilled to the bone. Hearing the little girl’s question, he became so enraged that his chest heaved as he roared, "I was going to concoct medicine, but I didn’t ask you to meddle! Do you think I’m like your indulgent aunts? Indulging you in everything, pampering you, even when you do wrong, they still pity you, cherish you, and tolerate you."
Upon hearing Ji Youran’s words, Xiaosuisui’s heart fluttered in fear. Her small hands twisted the hem of her clothes, tears brimming in her eyes.
"I... I was wrong. I just saw the small Medicine Cauldron was red-hot. I thought you were going to concoct medicine, so I threw in all the herbs."
"You were wrong? What’s the use of admitting your mistake? Who do you think you are? You’re just a four-and-a-half-year-old baby! You don’t understand anything, and you just meddle about. Don’t you realize that your reckless behavior will eventually be the death of us all!"
Ji Youran was extremely incensed. My brother’s legs! The only King Ginseng...
SMACK! Old Madame Ji slapped Ji Youran on the head.
"You’ve gone too far, Youran! Suisui is still young; we can teach her gradually. If you say such outrageous things again, I’ll beat you to death!"
Old Madame Ji was also very sad. There was still a glimmer of hope for her eldest son’s legs. But now, that hope had been completely shattered. How could she not be sad? Yet, she couldn’t bear to hear her second son scolding the little girl.
"Suisui, don’t cry. Don’t listen to your Second Uncle. He’s just unskilled, and besides, your Grandma just beat him, so he’s taking his anger out on you!"
When Old Madame Ji saw the two little teardrops, like pearls, at the corners of the little girl’s eyes, her heart ached terribly.
Xiaosuisui’s lower lip trembled, and she burst into tears, wailing loudly.
"WAAH, WAAH, WAAH..."
"Oh, my little dear, don’t cry! Good girl, it’s all your Second Uncle’s fault. Grandma will punish him. We’ll make him apologize to you, okay? Please stop crying."
Old Madame Ji’s heart felt like it was being torn apart with each of Xiaosuisui’s sobs; it was unbearable.
"Look, Grandma is hitting him. Can you please stop crying? My little ancestor."
Seeing Xiaosuisui crying inconsolably, Old Madame Ji raised her hand to hit Ji Youran again.
"You rotten brat! I told you not to be harsh with Suisui! I told you to watch your mouth! You’re the one who’s unskilled, yet you’re trying to find someone else to blame!"
Old Madame Ji started another round of thrashing her son in the Courtyard.
Xiaosuisui cried so hard she could barely catch her breath. She didn’t even understand why she was crying. Was it because she felt wronged? Or was she scared? She had cried before, but this time felt different. Her chest felt tight, and her eyes stung.
PLIP, PLOP. Two tears fell from the little girl’s cheeks into the small Medicine Cauldron.
RUMBLE!
Thunder cracked in the clear sky!
The mother and son, who had been chasing each other in the Courtyard, stopped simultaneously, lifting their heads to look at the sky.
"Strange. It’s such a clear day; why would there suddenly be thunder?" Old Madame Ji muttered.
Xiaosuisui, startled by the thunder, instinctively squatted down. At a glance, she saw that the herbs in the small Medicine Cauldron had disappeared. Only some liquid remained.
"Huh? Where are the herbs? Where did they go? Why is there only a little bit of liquid left?"
Xiaosuisui touched her head, baffled, her eyes wide. She stared at the small Medicine Cauldron in front of her, completely at a loss.