The topic suddenly became heavy.
Shen Yun acutely sensed that Su Xiaoqi harbored a very, very big secret within her heart.
This secret was so immense that Su Xiaoqi had no desire to share it with him.
In the end, he could only hold her hand and gently kiss it.
A wave of heat and moisture washed over the back of Su Xiaoqi’s hand.
The atmosphere instantly turned intimate.
In the past, when the atmosphere had built up to this point, they would have become affectionate.
But considering that Shen Yun's kiss today wouldn't help her upgrade her space, she lost her motivation.
Coupled with being truly exhausted and sleepy, she pulled her hand away, rolled over to her side, and fell asleep.
Leaving Shen Yun sighing softly as he looked at his empty palm.
The next day, the weather was bright.
The summer sun had already leaped above the horizon, piercing through the thin membrane of clouds and releasing its radiance to illuminate the earth.
Su Xiaoqi woke up, fully revitalized after a night's sleep.
Early that morning, she, Shen Yun, and Zhao Ye went to the village head's house.
She had already decided how to divide the buckwheat. It would be split into four portions.
As she had said the night before, one portion would be dried and the husks removed to make buckwheat tea.
Another portion would be sun-dried and processed into medicinal herbs using her family's traditional methods.
A third portion was simple; it would be used as food.
Steamed or boiled, prepared the same way as rice.
The final portion she intended to keep for seeds.
Buckwheat can be harvested twice a year, with the best planting times being April-May and August-September.
It was already mid-May, so planting was a bit late.
But it was still manageable.
However, it had to be planted in higher-altitude land, at a higher elevation.
She shared her thoughts with Shen Yun.
Regardless, there were over fifteen thousand catties of buckwheat here.
With just her and her younger sister, they wouldn't be able to handle it.
So, she made an agreement with the village head to temporarily store it there, with a daily fee of one copper coin.
This time, Zhao Baoren didn't need to make the decision; Yu Shi had the final say, "No problem, I'll definitely look after it for you."
After sending Shen Yun off, Su Xiaoqi, with Zhao Ye's help, took some of the buckwheat back to her own courtyard.
She found Shen Xiaomei and Zhao Xiaozhu to help, intending to process some of it first.
Zhao Shi watched the three of them busy themselves and helped by moving Old Yu Shi to sit in the corridor.
Su Xiaoqi didn't want to trouble her, but she couldn't resist her enthusiasm.
She assigned her a simple task of selecting the buckwheat grains.
As they were selecting, Su Xiaoqi noticed something was amiss.
Because she saw Zhao Shi staring at a full winnowing basket of buckwheat, unsure of what to do.
She was just idly sifting through it with her hands, which were covered in calluses, without picking out a single grain.
Su Xiaoqi remained silent, standing aside and quietly observing.
She concluded that Zhao Shi’s eyesight was not good.
Not necessarily blind, but certainly presbyopic or something similar.
Recalling that Shen Xiaomei had once told her that Zhao Shi's hands were very skilled, and she was best at embroidery and making clothes.
She used to be the best in Zhao Family Village.
It was precisely through that skill that she supported their family before Shen Yun grew up.
Su Xiaoqi thought that she must have damaged her eyes from embroidering too much in the past.
And now the after-effects had caught up with her.
She stepped forward, took Zhao Shi's hand, took the winnowing basket from her, and said gently, "Mother-in-law, please go and rest."
Zhao Shi was already very anxious, feeling like she wasn't helping at all.
Her eyes welled up, and tears began to stream down.
She vigorously rubbed her eyes, blaming herself for not being able to help.
"Mother-in-law, don't be like this." Su Xiaoqi was startled.
She quickly pulled her hands away and held her head, preventing her from harming herself.
"Why are you doing this? When you're old, you're old. You have to accept it," Old Yu Shi said, leaning against a pillar.
At the same time, she looked meaningfully at Su Xiaoqi.
"Mother-in-law, it's not your fault. Please sit down. Xiaomei, quickly pour your mother a cup of buckwheat tea."
She then took Zhao Shi's pulse.
She continued to check her pulse for a quarter of an hour, and through observation, inquiry, and palpation, she learned that Zhao Shi had been suffering from excessive thirst, frequent urination, and dry mouth for many days.
Her tongue was red and dry, with a thin yellow coating.
Her pulse was rapid and bounding. After a comprehensive diagnosis, she concluded that Zhao Shi suffered from xiaokexie.
Her poor eyesight was caused by this condition.
In this era, this disease was considered a "rich person's disease," and she didn't know how Zhao Shi had contracted it.
However, the fact was that not only did she have this disease, but it also affected her eyesight.
The illness was chronic.
But because the Shen family's conditions were poor in the past, and their diet was lacking, it was relatively well-controlled.
The current situation, however, was a result of her arrival.
Thinking about how every time she went to the city, she would buy all sorts of pastries, candies, and fruits for the household.
Zhao Shi must have consumed too much sugar, leading to this condition.
"Eldest sister-in-law, the tea is here. What's wrong with my mother?" Shen Xiaomei asked worriedly.
Su Xiaoqi said a little guiltily, "It's nothing, it's just xiaokexie."
She didn't hide it from them.
But telling them was no different from not telling them.
Because none of the women in the room understood what xiaokexie was.
Judging by the literal meaning, Shen Xiaomei thought her mother was very thirsty.
So, after pouring a cup of tea, she hurriedly poured another.
She thought that perhaps when her mother was no longer thirsty, the illness would be cured.
Although she didn't voice her thoughts, she could never hide anything from Su Xiaoqi.
Seeing the look in her eyes and her expression, Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but shake her head.
She proceeded to explain xiaokexie.
It was similar to diabetes in modern times.
The treatment mainly focused on clearing heat, moistening the lungs, and promoting fluid production to quench thirst.
Su Xiaoqi thought for a moment and prescribed a formula from Shen Jin'ao's "Miscellaneous Diseases Source Analysis Lamp":
Tianhuafen and Gengen, 30 grams each; Shengdihuang and Maidong, 15 grams each; Huangqin, 10 grams; Wuweizi, 6 grams; Shanyao and Shihu, 20 grams each.
Su Xiaoqi prepared the medicine and handed it to Shen Xiaomei to boil.
She then stayed with Zhao Shi, advising her on what to pay attention to.
First and foremost were dietary restrictions: avoiding spicy, cold, fried, and greasy foods.
Of course, the most important thing was to avoid sweets.
But Zhao Shi, like Old Yu Shi, was particularly fond of them.
Normally, Su Xiaoqi was happy to provide for them, which inadvertently led to this illness.
Of course, if one were to truly trace the cause, it wouldn't be her alone.
But the pastries she bought did exacerbate Zhao Shi's condition.
Therefore, it was hard for her not to feel responsible.
Su Xiaoqi felt a surge of determination, thinking that no matter what, she had to alleviate her condition.
As she was thinking this, Shen Xiaomei had already finished boiling the medicine and brought it over.
Su Xiaoqi took it and personally fed it to Zhao Shi.
Zhao Shi looked at her gentle movements and kind tone, feeling immensely touched.
Even a biological son wouldn't be this considerate!
Su Xiaoqi, feeling Zhao Shi's lingering gaze, quickly put down the empty medicine bowl.
She took out the acupuncture needles she had exchanged for rice at the pharmacy.
It was not good for Zhao Shi to be unable to see. She had to find a way to heal her eyes first.
Su Xiaoqi's mind was filled with thoughts of treating the illness and saving lives, while some people were full of wicked intentions.