Over at the hospital, after Qiu Shaocheng left, Han Chunli’s mind was in chaos: "Lin Feng, what should we do now?"
Ji Linfeng frowned tightly: "Don’t worry, I got this. Besides, the one who entrusted you to the Han family back then was him. You did nothing wrong. He never took care of you for a single day, and now he comes asking you for money. No matter where he causes trouble, it won’t work."
Han Chunli certainly wasn’t afraid of him causing trouble, but if things blew up and she wasn’t the Han family’s daughter, she didn’t know how many people were waiting to kick her when she’s down.
If she hadn’t done what she did back then or the current transplant for Xiaowen, she wouldn’t have to worry about these things. But if Second Brother found out, not only would he not spare her, but even Big Brother and Third Sister would definitely not speak to her again.
By that time, how could the Ji family accommodate her? Just thinking about it made her scared.
Right now, she had absolutely no idea what to do.
Seeing her like this, Ji Linfeng said, "Even if he makes a fuss, the Han family won’t ignore it. What are you afraid of?"
Han Chunli naturally couldn’t speak her mind, so she looked up and said, "If I’m not Han family’s daughter, I wonder how many people want to see me as a joke."
Ji Linfeng reached out to pull her up: "You now have a family, me, a son, and a daughter. Even if others laugh, it doesn’t matter. Don’t let it bother you. Come on, let’s go upstairs.
The young girl is about to wake up. We should go up and keep watch. After all, even if it’s a paid donation, she saved our Xiaowen. We need to thank her. Her family isn’t around, so we should take good care of her."
Han Chunli was distracted all along, but she didn’t refute Ji Linfeng. Her mind was in turmoil, and she needed to think carefully about how to get through this.
When they went up, Qiu Qingmei hadn’t woken up yet. Ji Xiaolei was waiting outside the ward; when he saw them enter, he asked, "Mom and Dad, why are you so late?"
He had been alone there, somewhat scared seeing Qiu Qingmei not waking up.
Today was Ji Xiaowen’s surgery day. The reason why neither the Han nor Ji family members were around was because Han Chunli didn’t notify them. She was afraid the Ji family’s two sisters-in-law would come and say cold remarks, and she also feared the Han family might make a mess, potentially ruining the surgery.
To avoid unforeseen situations, she decided that her family would bear the hardship this time. Regardless of what happens later, getting the surgery done took priority—her daughter Ji Xiaowen’s health couldn’t wait any longer.
Hearing her son’s words, Han Chunli regained some composure, tenderly saying, "Were you scared? It’s okay now. Why don’t you go home first? Your dad and I can handle this."
Ji Xiaolei glanced at the ward door: "I’ll stay to help, in case anything happens, I can run errands for you."
Han Chunli patted her son’s head: "It’s getting late; go to your aunt’s place and have her cook something for you. Also, tell her about your sister’s surgery, and have them come help."
Ji Xiaolei was puzzled by his mom’s thoughts. Earlier, she didn’t want them to notify his uncles and aunt, but now she wanted them to come and help. What did this mean?
However, he obediently replied, "Okay, I understand."
After her son left, Ji Linfeng said, "You stay here. I’ll go to Director Zhang to check the situation."
Han Chunli nodded: "Alright, you go."
Once Ji Linfeng left, Han Chunli peeked into the ward. Seeing Qiu Qingmei was motionless, she walked away to her daughter Ji Xiaowen’s VIP ward, worried primarily about her daughter’s condition.
After asking a nurse at the door to find out everything was stable, she sat down with a stern face, pondering how to handle the situation.
*
These days, the older women at the Mechanical Factory were getting restless again. The temptation was simply too great. A regular worker only earns so much a year, and if Yu Xinyan, an orphan who fell out with her adoptive parents, could be brought into the family, there’d be no need for a dowry, and she would bring money into the family. No matter how they looked at it, it was a good deal.
As for going to college, that wouldn’t harm the family anyway. Graduating would mean becoming an official, which would bring honor to the ancestors. Just thinking about it felt great.
And so, those older women devised a new strategy—not going themselves but mobilizing and organizing their more promising descendants to gather around Yu Xinyan.
Ever since Yao Hui stopped her and said those things, she started tinkering at home in her space at night.
Because that Medicinal Properties Poem talked about Chinese herbal medicine, and both the Medicinal Cuisine Collection and Beauty Collection needed herbs, she had long intended to gather various herbs to plant under those trees.
And the last few pages of that Collection of Difficult and Miscellaneous Diseases contained a few recipes for self-defense and pranks, like itching powder, Knockout Drug, peeling powder, sour and smelly powder, and even Yin Yang Joyful Powder.
Following the proportions in the recipes, she prepared the herbs, and sure enough, she made them. Better safe than sorry, having something for self-defense would be prudent.