Chapter 93: Time to Put My Acting Skills to Use
Ji Yanming held the medicine in his hand. His fingers slipped into his pouch and brushed against the money inside, but he paused. Realizing there were too many eyes around, he reached into another pocket instead and pulled out a handful of White Rabbit candies he’d stashed earlier, then handed them to Ning Xiyue.
Ning Xiyue stared in surprise at the handful of White Rabbit candies before her. Who would’ve thought that Comrade Ji — who always looked so cold and distant — was actually someone who liked eating White Rabbit candies?
“Thank you, Comrade Ji.” Ning Xiyue picked one, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm, delicious.”
She had to admit, White Rabbit candies from this era were rich in creamy flavor — real ingredients without a trace of saccharin.
“They’re all for you — consider it a thank-you,” Ji Yanming said, lifting the medicine slightly, clearly in a good mood.
“It’s just White Rabbit candy,” Ning Qingyuan muttered quietly nearby. He didn’t like seeing another man trying to curry favor with his sister. Slinging his pack over his back, he pushed his way forward. “Sis, did you finish that bag of White Rabbit candy I brought you before? I’ll bring you another pound tomorrow.”
Ning Qingyuan shot Ji Yanming a provocative look. A few candies? Hah — he could offer a whole pound.
Ji Yanming gave him a strange look — childish.
Ning Xiyue quickly waved her hands. She already had plenty of fruit candies and White Rabbits stored in her space — some from the daily check-ins, some from her brother. She had more than she could ever eat. Any more, and she’d end up with cavities.
“Brother, no need. I still have a lot of White Rabbit candy from before. Keep it for yourself.”
“Keep it for myself?”
Ning Qingzhi, having just finished briefing two new comrades, walked over just in time to hear that line. Then, seeing the White Rabbit candy in Ji Yanming’s hand, he accused, “Well, well, Old Ji, so you did secretly stash White Rabbit candies in your pocket. When I asked if you had anything to eat before, you said no. C’mon, give me one — I haven’t had White Rabbit candy in years.”
With his cover blown by his old friend, Ji Yanming’s expression darkened. He shoved all the candies into Ning Qingzhi’s hand. “Take them. All of them.” — That’ll shut you up.
Ning Qingyuan felt a pang of sympathy for his eldest brother, who hadn’t had White Rabbit candy in years. Once he’d earned some money, he’d immediately bought himself a stash of them. “Big Brother, I have more White Rabbit candies. Once we’re down the mountain, I’ll pack some up for you.”
The silly little brother was actually being thoughtful — Ning Qingzhi felt a twinge of emotion, though his words were dismissive: “Go away. Do I look like someone that greedy for sweets?”
“No.” Ning Qingyuan shook his head honestly.
Ji Yanming rolled his eyes at Ning Qingzhi. When he saw Ning Xiyue watching the brothers’ antics with a cheerful smile — clearly not overthinking anything Ning Qingzhi had said earlier — he quietly sighed in relief, though a faint sense of disappointment lingered.
He didn’t even know why he felt that way. Ever since he knew he was coming here — ever since she’d given him that candy when asking him to send a letter — he had subconsciously packed some White Rabbit candies in his pocket. In all his twenty-one years of life, he had never behaved like this.
Ning Xiyue had no idea Comrade Ji was feeling confused because of her. At that moment, her mind was occupied by a small, rather immature idea — an idea about making money openly and legitimately.
And this idea had been sparked when Comrade Ji asked her for the anesthetic and antidote — she was very interested in anything that involved earning money.
Thinking of that, Ning Xiyue pulled a few small bottles and jars out of the cloth bag she was carrying.
“Comrade Ji, these are all medicines I made myself in the kitchen yesterday using herbs. There’s one for treating external injuries, one for insect bites — it even works for snakebites — and one for stopping bleeding. I’ve labeled them all with little notes.”
She piled the three types of medicine into her eldest brother’s hands. “I’ll give them all to my brother. You can use them without worry — there are absolutely no side effects. And most importantly, I found that these medicines work pretty quickly.”
Picking up the first salve she had ever learned to make, Ning Xiyue transformed into a salesperson.
“For example, this ointment for insect bites — my second brother tried it. It works in less than twenty minutes after applying it. And if I refine the formula further, it might work even faster. You can take them back and run some tests. If you need more, you can have my brother contact me.”
If you want the horse to run, you’ve got to feed it grass. These three jars were just the bait — and they were all batches that had scored just 50 points when she was still practicing. Don’t underestimate that — even at 50 points, their effectiveness was far better than most medicines available in this era.
Right now, she could produce 58-point medicine — even more effective — but there was no way she was going to bring out her best stuff now. She had to play it smart and take things step by step.
Ning Qingyuan couldn’t help but speak up from the side, “Not to brag, but my sister’s medicine really works. Look — I’m almost done with a whole jar. And that was just the first jar she ever made.”
He proudly pulled out the first jar Ning Xiyue had given him and waved it triumphantly in front of the two men — especially lingering a little longer in front of his eldest brother.
His triumph lasted all of three seconds before Ning Qingzhi snatched the jar from his hand and said coldly, “Confiscated.”
“Hahaha! Serves you right, Second Brother!” Ning Xiyue laughed. Her second brother was too cheeky — how dare he show off in front of their eldest brother?
Ning Qingyuan looked dejected. Why couldn’t I just hold it in? Now that his big brother had confiscated it, there was no getting it back. He had even planned to keep the empty jar as a keepsake. Wuwu, now it was ruined.
Ji Yanming glanced at the jar of medicine in Ning Qingzhi’s hand. He wouldn’t make any judgments before testing its effectiveness.
Ning Qingzhi gave Ning Xiyue a reassuring look. “Sister, I’ll make good use of these medicines. Don’t worry.”
“Mm.” Ji Yanming also nodded.
Ning Xiyue wasn’t in a hurry — good things take time.
Following the group, she soon realized they had reached the boundary of another mountain — the fourth peak of Mount Da Qi. According to the map, the broadleaf forest ahead was their destination.
Ning Qingzhi pointed to a narrow path. “If we go down this way, we’ll be out of the mountain quickly. I’ll escort you two back first.”
Her eldest brother was going to escort her and her second brother down the mountain, but it was clear Comrade Ji and the others weren’t leaving. They clearly still had tasks to complete in the mountains — and if her brother’s team was involved, it had to be something major.
“Comrade Ji, I have maps of a few mountains here. Would you like them?” Ning Xiyue offered him the maps, hoping they might be helpful.
Ji Yanming took the maps and studied them. The markings were highly detailed — different from the maps they had — and they would be extremely useful for their operations in the mountains. He sincerely thanked her. “Thank you, Comrade Ning. We really need these. I’m deeply grateful — once we’re done with them, we’ll definitely return them intact.”
“It’s fine, there’s no rush. You can return them whenever — even giving them to my brother is fine.” Ning Xiyue felt quite pleased. This counts as contributing to the country, doesn’t it?
Ding! [Location triggered: Remnant Underground Laboratory of the Little Sun Nation. Would the host like to check in?]
??
Ning Xiyue was shocked. Was she hallucinating?
Could it be that Comrade Ji and her brother were here to handle something related to this check-in location?
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. And that burly man earlier — he really did look like someone from the Little Sun Nation.
“Oh no, I forgot something!” Ning Xiyue exclaimed, smacking her forehead in frustration as she pulled out her notebook and flipped through it.
Time to put her acting skills to use!
