CH 16

“It seems that you haven’t given up on yourself. I don’t enjoy beating around the bush. If I can get rid of those things on your face, what can you offer in return? I am only interested in monetary rewards.”

Su Jin supported her cheeks with her elbows propped on the table and had a cheeky grin on her face. At this moment, all she cared about was making a fortune to improve the situation at home as soon as possible. The pills produced by the system, which she had no idea where to use them on, had now made this situation possible.

“System, how long will it take for the effects to be visible if she takes that pill?”

“It will take one day for her body to detoxify, and the results will show by then. Her condition seems to be caused by a substance with low toxin, which had accumulated in her body over a long time and eventually led to the flare up on her face. If the source is not identified, the condition will probably return again in the future.” The system answered Su Jin in an uncharacteristic serious tone.

“Hey, little system, did you secretly eat some omega-3 and melatonin behind my back? Why does your melon seed head seem to be a lot brighter today?”

The system puffed its chest and rested both hands on its hips. “Hmph! I have always been smart-”

Su Jin: “…”

(Oh, it seems to be the usual little fool. For a moment, I thought it was secretly swapped to another system.)

“If there is no falsehood in your words, I am willing to pay one thousand taels of silver as reward for curing my face. I wonder if this is enough for you?”

Truth to be told, Jiang Ru Yan did not have any expectations. This was all the funds at her disposal at present. Her stepmother was in charge of internal affairs and finances of the family, while her father seldom intervened in it. Despite being the daughter of the main wife in the family, she could not do as she wished under her stepmother’s oppression.

If it weren’t for the powerful backing from her late mother’s family, and her engagement with her cousin had been agreed upon since she was a child, her stepmother would probably have gotten rid of her.

“One thousand taels will do.”

The pill came free of charge with the system anyway. There was no loss to Su Jin.

As she said that, Su Jin pretended to reach inside her clothes to retrieve something, and took out a jade coloured pill materialized by the system and handed it over to Jiang Ru Yan.

Jiang Ru Yan was stunned. That was for her?

She was under the impression that the solution Su Jin offered would involve introducing her to a doctor living in seclusion. This was completely outside her expectations… “Young lady, is this… medicine for me?”

“That’s right, after you consume it, you will see the effects on the next day. Believe it or not, it is up to you.”

Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Su Jin elaborated on her explanations.

Jiang Ru Yan hesitated for a while, but ended up reaching out to take the pill. It was a small pill with a faint luster. The medicines she had seen in the past were either boiled liquid or kneaded into dark brown pills. This was the first time in her life that she had encountered a medicine which looked like jade pearl.

The doubts in her mind cleared up slightly. With a refined appearance like this, there was no way the pill could be an ordinary product. Jiang Ru Yan composed her thoughts and recalled that she had just tried to commit suicide. If she was not afraid of death, then why should she be fearful of a pill?

She raised her head and swallowed the pill.

It was a mysterious feeling. The pill that entered her mouth felt cool and refreshing, and had no bitter taste of medicine.

Jiang Yan suddenly felt that there could still be a ray of hope. She stood up, slightly lifted the edge of the skirt and curtseyed to Su Jin.

“Thank you very much, young lady. Although the effects have yet to show, I can tell that this is a rare and precious medicine from the exquisite appearance. I will never ever forget the help I have received today! I’ll arrange for a servant to send the money. May I know your preferred location to deliver the rewards to?”

“Just send it here. I’ll pass by this medical hall again later.”

Su Jin waved her hand casually and bade farewell. She still had to shop around for other things and planned to come back after she was done to collect the money.

“Alright, thanks again, young lady.” Jiang Ru Yan said in a soft voice before heading towards the exit.

“A word of warning, you should be careful of your surroundings. The condition on your face is caused by long-term accumulation of substances containing a small amount of slow-acting toxin. If the source is not identified and taken care of, I’m afraid the problem might resurface again.”

Jiang Ru Yan’s body suddenly stiffened. With downcast eyes, she clasped her hands tightly and walked out of the door without affirming or denying this possibility. She already had such doubts in her mind.

“Milady, you have finally come out. That vulgar peasant girl didn’t do anything to you, did she? I’ve seen enough unscrupulous people like her who wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of milady’s kind-heartedness just to achieve their goals. You mustn’t fall for her schemes. I suggest we should just silence…”

“Shut up.” Jiang Ru Yan loudly reproached her out of the blue, interrupting the maid’s ramblings.

Qiu Shui hurriedly lowered her head, afraid to speak another word.

……

The business district in Fengyuan County was divided into the east district market and west district market. The medical hall where Su Jin purchased the medicine was located in the eastern district, where there were many high-end restaurants, pharmacies and large establishments.

The west district market, where Su Jin was at now, mainly consisted of smaller shops, roadside stalls, pushcarts and even a flea market where the goods were placed on the floor mat. The sound of bargaining never stopped. Everything in this area catered to the daily necessities of common folks.

Su Jin led her horse on foot and attracted the attention of many. Regardless of the occasion, horses were viewed as a luxury good and were mainly used by large families to draw their carts around. It was a rare sight for a lady to be walking around with one.

She looked around and randomly went into a grocery shop nearby.

Su Jin found all kinds of products in the store, such as rice, barley, wheat, corn, maize and millet. It had a robust selection of agricultural produce, but she did not come across the breed of corn grits which the Su family ate yesterday.

After glancing around for a while, Su Jin made her order in a firm voice. “Shop assistant, bring me 20 catties of rice and 20 catties of wheat.”

She took out the silver taels she had, reminding herself that she still had a long list of shopping to do. She would have to settle with this amount for now and visit again next time!

“20 catties? Got it, lady customer. Please take a seat for a moment. We will pack it up for you right away.”

The shop assistant was astonished. He had not expected the lady to place such a large order. It was not common for their customers to buy more than 10 catties of goods.

The majority of their customers were from the nearby villages that purchased in small amounts, and they would usually go for cheaper food such as barley.

Common folks who purchased premium products like rice and wheat in their shop were extremely rare. Aristocratic families would never patronize a small shop like theirs either.

The shopkeeper had a discerning eye and instructed the assistant to bring some tea to the young lady, while he personally helped to pack the goods.

Su Jin took a sip of the tea and asked, “Does the shopkeeper know if there is a shop selling wagons nearby?”

“A wagon? You mean the kind drawn by a horse, right? The innermost shop along this street offers mule cart rental services. I’m sure they sell wagons too.”

He glanced towards the horse tied outside the door and wondered if it belonged to the young lady.

“Alright, thank you, shopkeeper.”

“You’re welcome. You have bought a lot of goods from us. If you like, we could even deliver them to your door.”

The shopkeeper smiled politely and made an offer. In any case, a round trip transportation wouldn’t cost much. If he could maintain a business relationship with a big customer for their store, it was a small price to pay.

“There’s no need to. I have stuff to purchase from elsewhere, so you can save the trouble.”

After confirming the invoice and making payment, Su Jin walked out of the shop with two large bags.

The shopkeeper looked blankly at the scene. He nudged the assistant beside him and asked, “That’s 20 catties of goods per bag… right? This…”

Su Jin ignored the surprise of the people behind her and brought the horse straight to the store mentioned by the grocery shop owner. She selected a fairly sturdy wagon and requested them to install it on site.

She had intended to use the system’s inventory to store the purchased goods, but it would be difficult for her to explain if she were to bring everything out when she got home. The horse wagon would provide a good cover up for her, and it could come in handy for the family in the future too.

With important matters out of the way, Su Jin spent the rest of her time strolling around casually. She bought some bolts of fabric, snacks, salt, sugar, ready-made clothes for everyone in the family, and even specially bought a set of calligraphy inkstone and brush for her second brother.

She purchased everything she came across that could be useful for her family’s daily life. After all, the Su family seemed to be short of almost everything. Su Jin felt extremely satisfied when she saw the wagon full of goods.

Could that be the pleasure of stockpiling daily necessities?

When she passed by a pastry shop, Su Jin remembered the two scrawny little kids at home, so she spent what little money she had left from the bandits. For now, her pockets were totally empty.

The sky was turning dark. Su Jin traced her path back to the drugstore where she had been earlier in the morning, collected the money sent by young lady Jiang and drove the wagon home.

Su Jin sat on the driver’s seat and whistled in a carefree manner. It was a pleasant journey.

Halfway through the return trip, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to pay Sanye and the gambling house a visit. She was so immersed in the joy of shopping that it slipped off her mind.

(Forget it. I’m in a pretty good mood today. Let’s not spoil it with unpleasant things.)

On her way back, she met several people from the same village. At first, some of them would come near the wagon and observe it curiously. But when they saw Su Jin sitting in the driver’s seat, they immediately retreated and went back to their own business.

Rumours about her savagery had spread. The daughter of the Su family who had returned had experienced traumatic events outside and triggered changes in her personality. Without hesitation, she viciously crippled her cousin’s legs. It was better to stay away from her.

No matter what universe one was in, bystanders who were not affected by the actual events would never fail to distort and twist their interpretation of what had happened, regardless of the truth behind it.

Although it was a well-known fact that Su Liang deserved it, many people still believed that things could have been settled amicably since they came from the same ancestral family. They viewed Su Jin as a cruel and inhumane person.

Su Jin: “…”

(Which retarded school of logic is that? Do you expect the victim to show kindness to the perpetrator?)

It was fortunate that no one dared to block her path and preach to her, or she would have sent that person flying with a Thomas flare1TL Note: A breakdancing power move…

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