Chapter 280: What Old Liu Gave Her
Ning Xiyue simply waved her hand, unconcerned.
“No rush. Next time you see some herbs up in the mountains, you can collect a few for me to cover the medical cost.”
She had never intended to take any money from the old man. His situation was clearly difficult, and she decided to treat it as an act of kindness and a bit of accumulated virtue.
Hoisting her medical kit onto her back, she stood up and reminded Old Liu a few things:
“Try not to bottle up your anger. Don’t let your emotions get too stirred. Stop overthinking things and make sure to eat on time. You don’t need to check on the chickens today—go home and rest. Once you feel better, you can come back.”
“Perfect timing, Doctor Ning. Why don’t you walk him back? Old Liu lives right behind here, same direction as the cattle pen,” Captain Huang said, supporting the man.
“Alright, Captain Huang, let’s go. My team leader’s probably been waiting for quite a while,” Ning Xiyue nodded.
She was eager to return to the reed marsh and didn’t want to linger too long.
Leaving the chicken hatchery, Captain Huang helped Old Liu along while Ning Xiyue followed behind. Not far ahead, they reached the cattle pen. After escorting the old man home, Captain Huang turned back, and Ning Xiyue continued on her way.
When she arrived, she found that her team leader hadn’t finished his business yet—it was at a crucial moment, the paying and accounting stage.
The captain reluctantly pulled out a thick wad of bills and handed it to the accountant, who carefully checked the amount and entered it into the brigade’s ledger. Only then did the cattle keeper untie the rope of the spirited calf that the captain had chosen and hand it over.
Once he got the rope in hand, the captain’s face instantly lit up with joy. All trace of pain from parting with the money vanished as he patted the calf’s back with satisfaction. Grabbing a whip, he waved excitedly at Ning Xiyue.
“Yue girl! Let’s go, time to head back!”
“Moo—”
The calf let out a bleat in response.
When the captain came over, Ning Xiyue took the whip from him and walked behind the calf, helping to drive it forward.
They had only taken a few steps when someone called out to her.
It was Old Liu again, with Captain Huang beside him.
Old Liu hurried up, pulled Ning Xiyue aside, and took out a small bundle wrapped in blue cloth from his pocket. He stuffed it into her hands and motioned for her to open it.
Ning Xiyue felt something hard beneath the cloth. She looked up at him curiously before unwrapping it.
Inside were a kneecap bone and a long, barbed object.
Barbs? She frowned slightly. Isn’t this… the dried genital bone of a feline species?
Examining them more closely, she suddenly recalled a picture she’d seen in a medicinal herb compendium. Realization dawned, and delight flashed in her eyes.
Looking up, she asked in confirmation:
“This bone—could it be tiger bone? And this one… tiger whip?”
Tiger bone was an excellent medicine for treating arthritis, expelling wind-dampness, easing convulsions, and strengthening bones and tendons.
Tiger whip, on the other hand, was renowned for dispersing nodules, driving out dampness, and enhancing vitality.
Both were rare and precious remedies.
Doctor Ning clearly knew her stuff. Old Liu chuckled and nodded.
“Exactly right. That’s the knee bone and the whip of a tiger. I shot the beast myself in Mount Daqi years ago. Nearly got eaten, too—but I escaped by a hair and managed to kill the damn thing instead.”
He pointed at the contents in the cloth, smiling.
“I heard tiger parts could cure illnesses, so I kept them, had them properly prepared and preserved. They’ve been sitting around gathering dust—no use to me. Today I’m giving them to you as thanks for saving my life.”
Then, more earnestly, he added,
“If it weren’t for you today, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me—or to my grandson. Thank you, Doctor Ning. I’ve offended you before; I hope you’ll forgive an old fool.”
Ning Xiyue smiled slightly.
“Alright then, I’ll accept your gift. But I won’t take advantage of you—I’ll give you something in return.”
She could see both the bone and the whip were well preserved, their medicinal potency intact—truly valuable materials. Her heart leapt with joy; such rare ingredients were hard to come by. Since fate had brought them to her, of course she wouldn’t refuse.
She took out her large bamboo jar of black sesame balls and handed it to Old Liu.
“Take this. These sesame balls also replenish blood and energy—they’re good for your health. You and your grandson should eat one each per day to nourish your bodies.”
Then she produced a bottle of blood-pressure medicine, poured out half of it, and gave it to him with instructions:
“Keep these to stabilize your blood pressure. If you ever feel dizzy or nauseous again, take one—just like today, after meals. No more than three in a day. Once you feel better, stop.”
“Thank you, Doctor Ning, thank you!” Old Liu clutched the medicines gratefully, bowing again and again.
“No need to thank me. This is just a fair exchange. Go home and rest now—I have to get back to my team; the captain’s waiting up ahead.”
Ning Xiyue carefully put the tiger bone and whip into her medical kit, waved goodbye to Old Liu and Captain Huang, then jogged forward, whipping lightly at the calf’s hind legs.
“Captain, all done! Let’s head back!” she called out.
“Alright, back to camp!”
Zhang Dawei held the calf’s rope in one hand and a bundle of hay in the other, humming a cheerful tune. His steps were light—he’d made a good deal and saved money, so there was no better mood than this.
Ning Xiyue, carrying her two rare medicinal treasures and a bundle of baby chicks on her back, felt equally delighted.
With her whip swinging happily in the air, she followed the captain home, already looking forward to the next fun thing waiting for her at the educated youth courtyard.
