Chapter 145: Farewell
Ning Xiyue put down her chopsticks and looked at Ning Qingzhi. The news didn’t come as a surprise — she had long suspected it.
Although a trace of reluctance lingered in her heart, she kept a calm and gentle smile on her face.
“New Year’s not far off. If there’s time, we can all go home and celebrate together. There’ll definitely be a day when the three of us siblings reunite again — and when that happens, we’ll have another mutton hotpot.”
“Little sister’s right — we’ll definitely make another mutton hotpot.”
Ning Qingyuan paused from drinking his soup, put down the bowl, and grinned broadly as he thumped his chest in assurance:
“Big brother, don’t worry about going back. I’m here — I’ll definitely take good care of our little sister. We live close by, and we both have bicycles now. It’s convenient.”
The calm expression on Ning Qingzhi’s face broke into a hearty laugh as he slapped his thigh. “Good! That’s settled then. Next time the three of us get together, we’ll eat mutton hotpot again. And when there’s a chance, I’ll take you both to the grasslands to hunt. The mutton there is fat and delicious.”
Ning Xiyue nodded excitedly. “I’ll remember that! I’ve never been to the grasslands before.”
“And me too!” Ning Qingyuan raised his glass of chrysanthemum tea. “Come on, let’s have another toast!”
The three of them lifted their cups and clinked them together.
“Come on, eat — don’t stop now. There’s still plenty of meat left in the pot, and so many cabbage leaves in the basket. Let’s finish them all.”
With a mouth full of mutton, Ning Qingyuan urged the other two, who were only sipping tea, to eat more. He even used the ladle to scoop some meat into each of their bowls.
“Alright, let’s keep eating.”
The two siblings, who had already set down their chopsticks, picked them up again and continued eating from the hotpot.
The little bit of sadness over their upcoming farewell vanished without a trace — the three of them were fully focused on eating meat and rice.
After the meal, the two brothers helped tidy up and told Ning Xiyue to just sit aside and relax, not letting her lift a finger.
Taking the chance, Ning Xiyue packed some things for her eldest brother to take with him — hemostatic medicine and various treatments for internal and external injuries, making sure to pack plenty. She also included six wolf fang talismans for protection.
When they escorted Ning Qingzhi to the foot of the mountain, Ning Xiyue reminded him, “Brother, if you run out of medicine, write to me. I’ll send more so you’ll never run short.”
It was much better to get medicine directly from her than rely on official supplies.
“Alright, I’ll definitely write.” Ning Qingzhi accepted the package carefully.
Ning Xiyue pointed to another bundle of medicine. “And these are for Comrade Ji. He paid me my salary but hasn’t once come to pick up the medicine.”
Not far away, Ji Yanming — who had been waiting for a while — saw them coming out and quickly walked over.
“Sis, isn’t that Comrade Ji?” Ning Qingyuan nudged Ning Xiyue with his elbow, eyes fixed on the approaching man.
Ning Qingzhi followed his gaze, then waved. “Yes, that’s Old Ji. Little sister, you can give the medicine to him directly.”
“Alright.”
Ning Xiyue looked at Ji Yanming, who was walking toward them against the light, and guessed he must be here for the medicine.
When he got closer, Ning Xiyue handed him the bundle originally prepared for his team. “Comrade Ji, here’s the medicine for your team. I’ve already prepared it.”
Ji Yanming looked down at the package and naturally took it. “Alright, thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
Ning Qingzhi walked over and patted Ji Yanming’s shoulder, asking curiously, “Old Ji, what are you doing here? I invited you to eat with us, but you said you wouldn’t come.”
“There was something I had to handle earlier. I came to pick you up and get the medicine.” Ji Yanming looked at him and spoke seriously — though it was a complete lie.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to join them. In fact, he very much wanted to share this farewell meal. But he didn’t want to intrude on the rare reunion of the three siblings, so he had forced himself to decline.
He wasn’t here to “pick anyone up” either — he’d been squatting nearby for over an hour, just waiting for a chance to say goodbye in person.
“Comrade Xiyue,” Ji Yanming said earnestly, “I’ve received the medicine, and once again, thank you. It’s been a huge help to us. We’ll be officially withdrawing from here tomorrow. Regarding cooperation on the medicine you’re working on, if you have any issues in the future, you can write to me. I’m the one who built the bridge between us, and I’ll take responsibility for helping you.”
“Alright, thank you. If I run into any problems, I’ll be sure to write. And thank you too for all your help. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”
Ning Xiyue replied politely. Whether she actually wrote or not was secondary — it was enough to say the right words. If she needed help in the future, it was always good to have a connection.
“Alright then, Old Ji, let’s go. Time to head back.”
Ning Qingzhi suddenly grew wary. He couldn’t stand it anymore and went over to pull Ji Yanming away.
As he dragged him along, he slipped an envelope into Ning Xiyue’s hand and waved. “Sister, you go back now. I’ll be leaving first. I’ll write to you when I get home.”
He couldn’t shake the feeling that this Old Ji was acting strange. Since when did he personally come to “pick someone up”? Since when was he so warm and helpful? Ji was known in the team as the cold, black-faced King of Hell. Maybe he had his eyes on his little sister — and he had better keep a close watch.
As he was being pulled away, Ji Yanming quickly turned back and called, “Comrade Xiyue, until we meet again!”
“Sis, let’s go.” Ning Qingzhi quickened his pace.
“Alright. Goodbye.”
Ning Xiyue waved happily, feeling no sadness about the parting at all. They were family — there would be plenty of time to see each other again.
“Big brother, see you at New Year!” Ning Qingyuan shouted, waving.
After sending their eldest brother off, Ning Qingyuan escorted Ning Xiyue back to the youth camp before riding his bicycle back to the Dahui Team.
Ning Xiyue glanced at the envelope in her hand — it contained money and ration tickets. Her brother had once again given her his monthly salary.
When she returned to her room, Chen Yechu was there sketching furniture designs, sipping hot mutton soup as she drew — quite comfortably.
When she saw Ning Xiyue come in, she put down her pen and bowl and said, “Xiyue, you’re back. I have to say, the mutton soup your brother brought is delicious. I feel warm all over after drinking it.”
“Then drink more — it’s good for driving away the cold.”
At this point, Ning Xiyue took out three pills and handed them to her. “These are for menstrual pain. They’re ready — one per day, three doses total. There are no side effects. You can try them and see if they work for you.”
Ning Xiyue was confident they would work, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, she didn’t guarantee anything outright. At that moment, she suddenly understood why doctors always gave vague answers when prescribing medicine.
“Really? Thank you so much, Xiyue!” Chen Yechu was overjoyed as she accepted the medicine. “This is great — now there’s hope that I won’t be in pain for the next couple of weeks.”
As Ning Xiyue lifted a wooden bucket to fetch water for soaking her feet, she asked, “Your stomach still hurts? It’s been several days.”
Chen Yechu gave a bitter smile. “Sigh, it’s once every three months — and it lasts half a month. The pain only stops in the last three days. It’s such a hassle.”
Ning Xiyue was speechless. She used to envy Chen Yechu for only getting her period once every three months, but lasting half a month each time was too long. Concentrating three months into one session? She’d rather deal with it once a month.
“Don’t worry — you’ll feel results in three days. If it works, you won’t have to suffer so much. Anyway, you keep working. I’m going to soak my feet.”
When Ning Xiyue returned from the kitchen with half a bucket of hot water, Chen Yechu had already swallowed one pill. Beaming with excitement, she told her,
“Xiyue, this is definitely working. I felt relief right after taking it — the pain’s already easing.”
“Really? Then congratulations. Can you help me keep a record of your reactions over the next few days? I’d like to use this as a clinical trial report on the medicine’s effectiveness.”
It was her first time using the medicine on a real patient who had suffered from dysmenorrhea for years, and Ning Xiyue was very interested. She couldn’t let such a good opportunity go unrecorded.
Feeling the effects, Chen Yechu was overjoyed and readily agreed. “Of course, I’ll write everything down in detail. But I still have to give you something in return.”
Hearing this, Ning Xiyue didn’t refuse and shared one of her ideas — about the modern items Chen Yechu could provide.
“If you really want to repay me, then make some of your hometown’s special dishes for me — like those spicy potato slices you made. They were so delicious! Do you have any other tasty dishes? I’d love to try them.”
“Alright, it’s a deal. I’ll make another delicious dish for you tomorrow.”
After saying that, Chen Yechu fetched her bucket and sat down beside Ning Xiyue to soak her feet.
Ning Xiyue was already looking forward to what kind of delicious food she’d make tomorrow.
Why did it suddenly feel like she now had two cheat skills?
