Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Learning Medical Skills

The crowd looked at each other.

The old village chief took out a piece of a grass stalk, put it in his mouth to chew, and looked completely at a loss.

Suddenly, a soft, sweet voice, like a ray of sunshine, pierced through the gloom in everyone’s hearts.

Shen Ningning said, "Uncles and aunts, don’t worry. Leave the medical skills to me. I’ll go ask that amazing Divine Doctor for guidance."

The villagers’ faces lit up. "Really? But Ningning, the art of medicine is a profound field. You haven’t been studying it since you were a child. It’s not something you can just pick up."

A sweet smile appeared on the little girl’s soft, rosy face.

"It’ll be fine if I just learn some emergency remedies for things like colds, pains, and calming nerves. Those shouldn’t be too hard."

’Besides, I have my own herbs. If I run into any difficult cases, I can just use the Spiritual Spring and Spirit Grass.’

Shen Ningning was filled with confidence, and the villagers, knowing she never made empty promises, were immediately convinced.

So, for the next few days, Shen Ningning made special trips back and forth between Wolf Mountain and the Xie Mansion.

She asked her brother to formally introduce her to the Divine Doctor, Sima Han, so she could ask him about some simple medical principles.

Sima Han already had a good impression of Shen Ningning, so when he learned the little girl wanted to study medicine, he began to teach her in earnest.

However, the art of medicine is vast and profound. A simple cold alone could present in many different ways.

Fortunately, the little girl had a good memory. She took notes as Sima Han spoke and would review them several times at night when she returned home.

Sima Han even taught her how to take a pulse, but this required long-term practice and experience. Shen Ningning knew she couldn’t rush it, but she studied with great dedication.

「A few days later」

Heiwa Zi and Chen Ye returned from Qingzhou.

They brought back a horse-cart packed full of winter supplies, so cramped that the two of them could only sit on the shafts.

Both of them were beaming. "Village Chief, Miss Ningning, we really bought some great goods on this trip to Qingzhou!"

The villagers crowded around the cart. Heiwa Zi lifted the curtain, revealing the supplies inside.

There were bundles of cotton clothes and quilts, six stacks of fur cloaks, and all sorts of cotton and linen covers.

"We also bought firewood and haystacks. We’ve already arranged for an ox-cart to bring the goods toward the Capital City. It’ll arrive tomorrow," Heiwa Zi said with a smile.

"The merchants in Qingzhou all laughed at us. They said no one was short on these things and that we were buying so much we’d have nowhere to put it."

Chen Ye added, "We tried to warn them, but they didn’t believe a snow disaster was coming."

Shen Ningning was flipping through the fabrics with her small hands, checking to see if they were of poor quality.

Hearing this, she nodded her little head as if she had expected it, her voice soft and sweet. "It’s only human nature not to believe it~"

The old village chief tallied up the goods. Heiwa Zi said the trip cost a total of one thousand and twenty taels.

The twenty taels were from Chen Ye, and the remaining one thousand taels were all from Shen Ningning.

The old village chief then called to Chen Ye, "Chen’s child, get a pen. As the villagers get supplies from you, record those who pay in cash on the left and those who buy on credit on the right."

Chen Ye quickly agreed.

They pulled the horse-cart into the village chief’s courtyard and set up a small table by the gate.

Chen Ye kept the records, Uncle Deng assisted, and Heiwa Zi called out the accounts.

The villagers, holding their silver, lined up at the old village chief’s gate to exchange it for supplies.

Seeing everyone in an orderly line, Shen Ningning felt much more at ease.

Soon, the commotion in Xiangyun Village attracted the attention of several nearby villages.

The other villages sent people to quietly investigate.

They were all shocked speechless by the scene in Xiangyun Village.

In every household, people were repairing their roofs and expanding their courtyards.

The roots of the loquat trees in every yard were all wrapped in thick, torn cotton cloth.

A dozen or so village women were gathered in the middle of the village road, cutting meat and vegetables, then salting them for preservation.

When villagers from other villages saw this, they all thought Xiangyun Village looked like it was preparing to flee a disaster.

The news spread quickly.

Three days before New Year’s Eve, an unwelcome guest arrived.

At that moment, Shen Ningning was just leaving the mad scholar’s house with the Black Wolf King.

Just then, she heard the sound of arguing coming from the village entrance.

"That sounds like the village chief’s voice! Langlang, let’s go have a look!" The little girl hopped onto the Black Wolf King’s back, and it carried her toward the village entrance as fast as the wind.

As she got closer, she saw the villagers protecting the old village chief while pushing a pot-bellied merchant away.

Shen Ningning took a closer look. Wasn’t that merchant Ba Deshun?

He seemed to have made a bit more money; he was wearing four gold rings on his hands.

The old village chief held a broom, shooing him away. "Who let you into our village? Get out!"

Ba Deshun’s servant protected him as they backed away repeatedly.

He cursed angrily, "Deng Changshou! You old coot, why can’t you tell what’s good for you?"

"I already told you, I’m here to sell you things! Isn’t Xiangyun Village buying up cotton cloth and clothes? I’ve got a batch right here. Do you want it or not!"

The old village chief was furious and pointed at him. "You have the nerve to bring that up? The market price for a bolt of cotton cloth is only five taels, but you’re demanding fifteen taels per bolt from me! I may be old, but I’m not a fool! Get out of my village!"

The broom swung down hard. Ba Deshun failed to dodge this time and was struck squarely on the head.

"OW!" He grimaced in pain, seething with anger. "You old bastard, you dare hit me."

"If it weren’t for the fact that you’re my son Ba Le’s biological grandfather, I wouldn’t even bother with you! If you don’t want these goods, I’ll take them to the city to sell. I could get thirty taels a bolt, and there would be plenty of buyers!"

With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed off.

The old village chief spat at his retreating back. "Bastard! I don’t have a grandson named Ba Le, and you don’t need to come back here ever again!"

Uncle Deng’s face was dark with disappointment.

After his son, Deng Fugui, had followed Wang Qiao’er in her remarriage into the Ba Family, his name was changed to Ba Le.

He was no longer his son.

The old village chief was so angry his chest hurt and his face turned pale. Uncle Deng quickly helped him calm down.

Shen Ningning walked over with the Black Wolf King. "Village Chief, why is Ba Deshun here again?"

The old village chief shook his head and sighed. "Outsiders have all heard that our Xiangyun Village is preparing for a winter disaster."

"At first, no one believed it. But once word got out that you were the one who told us to prepare, the prices in the city started to rise."

Heiwa followed up, "That’s right. My aunt sent a letter saying the price of winter supplies in Qingzhou doubled right after we left."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Shen Ningning’s little face.

’I can’t let the prices keep rising like this. Otherwise, it will be harder for us to stockpile more supplies.’

So, the next day at school, Shen Ningning took the initiative to bring Lu Shaoyuan a box of large, round oranges.

Lu Shaoyuan happily accepted it. "Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?" He opened the lid, about to peel one and try it.

Shen Ningning tapped the back of his hand. "Put that down, don’t eat it. This is for you."

She pulled two persimmon cakes from her pocket and handed them to him.

Then, the little girl said sweetly, "These are for your mother. Please help me give them to Mrs. Meng. You see, the New Year is almost here. I wish her good fortune and all the best."

Lu Shaoyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out a mock scoff.

"Giving my mother a gift all of a sudden... you’re not up to something, are you?"

Shen Ningning shyly scratched her rosy cheeks. In Lu Shaoyuan’s eyes, she looked like a cute, pinkish, soft little dumpling.

She said, "I can’t hide it from you. I want to ask you to discuss something with Mrs. Meng. Could she help suppress the prices of winter supplies and stop them from skyrocketing?"

"Oh, is that all?" Lu Shaoyuan said, eating the persimmon cake, his handsome face looking unconcerned.

He clicked his tongue and said, "Unfortunately, you’re too late. Yesterday, my mother already left with my maternal grandfather to return to their hometown for the New Year."

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