""Qinqin, are you thirsty? Dad will get you some water."
As Qin Qin opened her eyes, what she saw was Qin An's concerned gaze.
"Okay!"
Qin An smiled, bending down to pick up the thermos and poured a cup of water for Qin Qin, who took it and drank it down in one gulp, as she was indeed quite thirsty.
After drinking, Qin An took the water cup from Qin Qin's hand and set it down.
Qin Qin watched as Qin An turned to put down the water cup and took a careful look at this man called her father in this life. He was about one meter sixty-something tall, with an honest face, even very ordinary-looking. Perhaps due to often being in the sun and rain, he seemed rather dark-skinned, with a kindly smile on his cheeks. In short, he was a man who couldn't be more ordinary.
"What's wrong? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Dad will call the doctor for you."
Seeing Qin Qin staring at him without speaking, Qin An worried that she was not feeling well and anxiously asked.
"I'm fine, I want to be discharged."
Looking away, Qin Qin said indifferently. She didn't like the atmosphere here and didn't feel the need to stay in the hospital.
"Qinqin, the doctor said you still have injuries, and your eyes have just recovered. You don't need to worry about money; Dad still has some money left, enough to cover your medical expenses. All you need to do is take good care of your body," Qin An urgently said, fearing Qin Qin would bring up the issue of being discharged again.
Looking at Qin An's anxious gaze and restless demeanor, Qin Qin fell silent. Obviously, Qin An misunderstood the reason she wanted to leave the hospital. Oh well, she would stay a couple more days.
Two days later, against the advice of Qin An and the doctors, Qin Qin left the hospital. She had had enough of the hospitals in this world. Not to mention the medication that didn't seem very effective, these so-called doctors also lacked medical ethics. It was only a minor injury, yet they seemed to wish she would stay in the hospital forever.
The two left the hospital and took a bus back to a small town under Peng County, Guanyin Town.
Qin Qin and Qin An got off the bus and looked at the building in front of them—a simple bungalow, not wide and somewhat old and shabby.
Qin Qin frowned deeply. She, the respected Ghost Doctor from a thousand years ago, who had lived in luxury, envied by others, was now to stay in such a humble place. The food, clothing, and shelter were far from what she was accustomed to in her previous life.
"Qinqin, what are you daydreaming about? Come inside and rest; your body hasn't fully recovered yet," Qin An said.
As he finished speaking, a few middle-aged women carrying vegetables approached from not far away.
The woman leading the group eyed the father and daughter standing at the entrance of their home. She was chatting and laughing with a few women one moment, then the next, she marched towards Qin Qin and Qin An, seething with anger.
"How dare you, Qin An! Our household is out of money, and yet you have the nerve to borrow money from your brother behind my back," the woman barked spitefully.
"Big Sister... I..."
Qin An spoke in a low, anxious voice, only to be cut off by the woman before him.
"Pah, save me your excuses! I don't care; you must return the money you borrowed from me today," the woman shouted, showing no courtesy and no regard for family ties.
"Big Sister, just give me a few more days, and I will definitely repay those five hundred yuan to you." He had borrowed money from his elder brother as a last resort. His brother only had five hundred yuan to his name, which wasn't enough to cover Qin Qin's medical bills. In the end, he had to sell the pig they had just started raising at home, finally managing to scrape together enough to pay for Qin Qin's medical expenses."
"I don't care, you must pay me back today. Why didn't you borrow money from someone else instead of from my family? Have I offended you, Qin An? You know my daughter is going to university, and we really don't have any money at home. Yet you have the nerve to come to my place to borrow money."
The woman berated Qin An furiously. Qin An hung his head and took the verbal abuse without retorting. He knew his sister-in-law's temper and didn't dare say much; he had foreseen this consequence since borrowing the money, thinking that being scolded was no big deal, for his daughter was what mattered most.
The middle-aged women accompanying the furious lady didn't dare to interject much, only shaking their heads and sighing.
Qin Qin stood behind Qin An, coldly watching the woman who was ranting in front of them. From her memories, she knew this woman was Lee Shuhua, the wife of Qin An's elder brother Qin Shuqing, a true shrew.
As Lee Shuhua was yelling irrationally, she saw her niece, Qin Qin, looking at her with an icy glare, "Qin Qin, what's with that look? Do you want to be hit?"
Lee Shuhua raised her hand to strike Qin Qin as she said this, but Qin An stepped in front of Qin Qin. Raising his head, which had been bowed, his voice shifted from anxious to firm, "Big Aunt, Qinqin hasn't done anything to you. How could you raise your hand against her?"
"Oh my, Qin An, you even have the nerve to defend your daughter? Did you not see the way she looked at me just now? Was that a respectful look towards her Big Aunt? Her eyes looked like they could eat me alive. Today I'll discipline your disrespectful daughter for you." Lee Shuhua pushed Qin An aside without mercy and advanced towards Qin Qin, hand raised for a strike.
Qin Qin stared at Lee Shuhua's raised hand, and in the next instant, she fiercely grabbed Lee Shuhua's wrist and squeezed tightly, causing Lee Shuhua to cry out in pain.
Qin Qin glared intensely at Lee Shuhua, not noticing the dark pupils of her own eyes deepening to a faint purple. And as the purple filled her pupils, Qin Qin stood frozen, for she witnessed something particularly shocking.
She suddenly saw a vision unfold before her, and this vision was in some way related to Lee Shuhua.
In the vision, Lee Shuhua was scolding her and the present Qin An, with several women beside her trying to calm her down, urging her to back off. However, Lee Shuhua continued relentlessly, even attempting to discipline Qin Qin. Unawares, she lost her footing, stumbled to one side, and hit her head on a nearby tree, resulting in a large bump and a bleeding cut.
What was going on?
Qin Qin shook her head vigorously and blinked her eyes, only to see the vision shifting—it now showed Lee Shuhua arguing with her Big Uncle at home. Lee Shuhua was pushed to the ground by her usually kind Big Uncle amidst a barrage of shouting. The Big Uncle paid her no attention and walked out the door, leaving Lee Shuhua sitting and crying on the floor alone.
After witnessing this vision, Qin Qin's eyes began to ache, and she dared not look any longer. The image before her vanished, nearly convincing Qin Qin that it was all her imagination. She knew it wasn't; she had indeed seen it. But what exactly was going on?
After acquiring the magical space known as 'Medicine Realm,' she was no longer incredulous about such matters, but acceptance was another story. After all, she was dealing with her own body, and whether these eyes would harm her, remained an unknown. However, this wasn't the time to ponder; what was crucial now was dealing with her Big Aunt Lee Shuhua in front of her and, incidentally, to see if the vision she had would actually come true.
"Ahh... Qin Qin, you filthy girl, let go of me right now! You ill-bred disaster-bringer, if it weren't for you, why would your dad need to borrow money from my family? And now you even dare to grab my hand." Lee Shuhua raged at Qin Qin, spitting out her words in fury.
Qin Qin listened to Lee Shuhua's disagreeable language and her eyes narrowed dangerously.
Good, very good, excellent, in fact. This was the first time someone had been so disrespectful to her. Very good, Lee Shuhua, she took note of it.
"Sorry, even if I lack manners, at least I'm better than a Big Aunt who curses at people in the streets."
Qin Qin released Lee Shuhua's hand, repulsed. She had a slight obsession with cleanliness and didn't want to keep touching these people because she found them filthy.
After Qin Qin said those words, everyone was shocked, for they all saw Qin Qin as being like her father—never talking back when insulted. Yet today, they witnessed Qin Qin's sharp retort to Lee Shuhua.
Qin Qin didn't care about the gazes of those around her but looked at Lee Shuhua with disdain, "Big Aunt, you should really swear less. After all, well-mannered people don't casually call others 'filthy girl' or 'disaster-bringer.' And maybe you should tone down that temper. Otherwise, one day even Big Uncle will have had enough." The second vision she had was exactly that—Big Uncle slamming the door as he left.
"How dare you, Qin Qin! Do you believe I will tear your mouth apart for speaking to me like that?"
Seething at being spoken to without respect, Lee Shuhua flew into a rage.