Xia Liu and Zhang Xiaoxue walked back, passing by Shanyan Village, not encountering Li Hao again; they figured he must have been scared off.
The first thing they did upon returning to Osmanthus Village was to visit Zhang Qing's house, allowing Auntie Li to go back to rest while Zhang Xiaoxue prepared the traditional Chinese medicine they had bought.
Zhang Qing had already woken up, but still lacked the strength to get out of bed. Faced with Xia Liu, the handsome young man, she was incredibly spirited.
"Xia Liu, thank you. If it weren't for you, I might have..." As she spoke, Zhang Qing blushed because she realized when she woke up that her buttons were misaligned, meaning that Xia Liu had undressed her while detoxifying.
"Don't worry about it, don't think too much. If there's anything else you need in the future, just come to me if I can help," Xia Liu said with a bright smile. He had heard about all the things Zhang Qing had done for Zhang Xiaoxue over the years and felt obligated to give her special treatment.
"I've troubled you. I don't know how much it'll cost. Sister-in-law shouldn't let you work for free."
"Hey, sister-in-law, why mention that? I just did a few simple stitches."
"Those stitches saved my life. Auntie Li told us all about it. If you don't charge me, I won't take the medicine!" Zhang Qing said coquettishly like a little girl.
This made Xia Liu somewhat embarrassed since Zhang Qing had indeed been a great help to Zhang Xiaoxue; Xiaoxue was able to hang on till now largely thanks to her.
"Well, how about just charging ten or twenty bucks," Xia Liu offered.
After Xia Liu mentioned the price, Zhang Qing suddenly remembered that she hadn't had any income for several months and had run out of money!
"Xia Liu, sister-in-law has no money at home, so I'll owe you. If you want to do something else, just come over when no one else is around..." As she said this, Zhang Qing's tender hand rested on the back of Xia Liu's hand, her middle finger moving in circles in his palm.
Listening to these heartfelt words, Xia Liu swallowed hard, understanding Zhang Qing's intentions, and he started to breathe more heavily.
Seeing Xia Liu like this, Zhang Qing felt an unconscious thrill. Her husband had not been home for over a year, and seeing Xia Liu, a woman like her couldn't help wanting to talk to him, even hoping to delve deeper.
"Here comes the medicine!" Just as Xia Liu felt awkward, a cheerful voice came from outside, and Zhang Xiaoxue smilingly rushed in carrying a bowl.
Xia Liu quickly withdrew his hand, worried about what Zhang Xiaoxue might think if she saw them.
Zhang Qing did not persist any further, and everything went back to normal.
Zhang Xiaoxue not only prepared medicine for her but also cooked a meal, and it was after eight in the evening when she and Xia Liu returned home.
Zhang Qing waited until eleven at night and Xia Liu hadn't come. She couldn't help but feel dejected, reminiscing about his handsome appearance, and started to entertain wild fantasies...
After returning home, Xia Liu organized the medicinal herbs he had bought, wrote some large characters with a marking pen, and set up the sign at the door, thus officially establishing the health clinic.
It had been another grueling day; Xia Liu waited outside the bathroom, thinking it had been about ten minutes since Zhang Xiaoxue had been inside without any sound, "Xiaoxue, are you there?"
"Here I come."
As his voice rang clear, Zhang Xiaoxue slowly walked out, and Xia Liu, seeing the person before him, was stunned.
"Brother Xia Liu, do I look good in this dress?" Zhang Xiaoxue asked as she spun around in front of Xia Liu.
Xia Liu hurriedly nodded, his heart racing to its peak. He had already been fired up by Zhang Qing, and now Zhang Xiaoxue was wearing the dress she bought today, asking him for his opinion—this was simply tempting him to commit a sin!
Under the moonlight, the black lace was so striking, and her flat abdomen without a trace of excess fat...
Xia Liu clenched his palm, feeling an urge to reach out and release the tension.
"Brother Xia Liu, you should take a shower too, I'm going back!"
Zhang Xiaoxue winked mischievously and quickly ran back inside, leaving a bewildered Xia Liu standing there.
"Oh man... where did this kid learn this from..." Faced with Zhang Xiaoxue's alluring behavior, Xia Liu shook his head and hurried to fetch water, realizing that only cold water could extinguish the rising flames.
When Xia Liu returned to the inside, something he hadn't anticipated occurred; Zhang Xiaoxue was actually in his room, dressed just as before—somewhat terrifying!
"Xiaoxue, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Today, while detoxing sister-in-law, Brother Xia Liu seemed to enjoy watching..." Zhang Xiaoxue lowered her head, her hands nervously intertwined, too shy to speak.
Today, she had seen Xia Liu staring blankly at Zhang Qing and felt a bit dissatisfied, so she too wanted to captivate Xia Liu's attention!
"Pfft! What are you thinking about, you silly girl, hurry up and go back to bed, I need to go up the mountain tomorrow!"
"Doesn't Brother Xia Liu like to watch Xiaoxue?"
"It's not that, Xiaoxue, you are still young, go back to sleep now, or I will really get mad." Xia Liu was struggling to maintain control, realizing this girl was truly driving him towards temptation.
"Brother Xia Liu, don't be mad, I'll go to sleep then." Saying this, Zhang Xiaoxue puffed her cheeks and hurriedly walked out, but she was thrilled inside. Just now when she accidentally touched Xia Liu, she could feel he was burning hot; this proved she could still make Brother Xia Liu driven...
After Zhang Xiaoxue left, Xia Liu immediately entered a meditative state to calm down.
At seven in the morning, Xia Liu got up early, prepared breakfast for Zhang Xiaoxue, and then headed up the mountain with a basket on his back.
The value of the Hundred-Year Platycodon greatly excited him; if he came across a few more herbs of similar age, he would really be fortunate.
The Xianggu Mountain Range was abundant with medicinal herbs, a sure path to wealth, but it required his pioneering efforts to uplift the villagers.
However, this time, Xia Liu didn't find precious century-old herbs like Platycodon, but he discovered another surprise.
After exploring for half an hour, on a mound, he found a large patch of Atractylodes!
Atractylodes, also known as Kaempferia galanga, was good for strengthening the spleen, boosting energy, drying dampness, promoting water elimination, preventing sweat, and stabilizing pregnancies. It had great and broad medicinal value. Such a massive patch of Atractylodes meant a rhythm of fortune!
He quickly filled his basket, remembered the location, and rushed back, though still unsure of the market price at the herbal store.
Back at home after processing the Atractylodes, he instructed Zhang Xiaoxue, then hurried to town.
"Although this Atractylodes hasn't been processed, it is wild, so according to my grandfather's standards, I can offer you thirty yuan per kilogram. If the quantity is large, the price could even increase by a few yuan," Liu Lanxin said after inspecting the Atractylodes in the basket.
"If I supply a thousand kilograms at a time, can the price increase?" Xia Liu asked, barely containing his excitement.
"If you can supply over a thousand kilograms at once, I can give you thirty-five yuan, but it must all be wild," she replied.